matter
Americannoun
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matters
plural
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the substance or substances of which any physical object consists or is composed.
the matter of which the earth is made.
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physical or corporeal substance in general, whether solid, liquid, or gaseous, especially as distinguished from incorporeal substance, as spirit or mind, or from qualities, actions, and the like.
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something that occupies space.
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a particular kind of substance.
coloring matter.
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a situation, state, affair, or business.
a trivial matter.
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an amount or extent reckoned approximately.
a matter of 10 miles.
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something of consequence.
matter for serious thought.
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importance or significance.
decisions of little matter.
- Synonyms:
- moment
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difficulty; problem; trouble: There is something the matter with the car.
Whatever is the matter?
There is something the matter with the car.
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ground, reason, or cause.
a matter for complaint.
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the material or substance of a discourse, book, etc., often as distinguished from its form.
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things put down in words, especially printed.
reading matter.
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things sent by mail.
postal matter.
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a substance discharged by a living body, especially pus.
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Philosophy.
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that which by integrative organization forms chemical substances and living things.
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Aristotelianism. that which relates to form as potentiality does to actuality.
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Law. statement or allegation.
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Printing.
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material for work; copy.
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type set up.
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Christian Science. the concept of substance shaped by the limitations of the human mind.
verb (used without object)
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matters,
present (3rd person singular)
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mattered,
past participle, past
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mattering
present participle
idioms
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a matter of life and death, something of vital or crucial importance.
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for that matter, as far as that is concerned; as for that: Also for the matter of that
For that matter, you are no better qualified to judge than I.
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as a matter of fact, in reality; actually; in fact.
As a matter of fact, there is no substance to that rumor.
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no matter,
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regardless or irrespective of.
We'll never finish on time, no matter how hard we work.
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it is unimportant; it makes no difference.
No matter, this string will do as well as any other.
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noun
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that which makes up something, esp a physical object; material
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substance that occupies space and has mass, as distinguished from substance that is mental, spiritual, etc
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substance of a specified type
vegetable matter
reading matter
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thing; affair; concern; question
a matter of taste
several matters to attend to
no laughing matter
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a quantity or amount
a matter of a few pence
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the content of written or verbal material as distinct from its style or form
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(used with a negative) importance; consequence
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philosophy (in the writings of Aristotle and the Scholastics) that which is itself formless but can receive form and become substance
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philosophy (in the Cartesian tradition) one of two basic modes of existence, the other being mind : matter being extended in space as well as time
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printing
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type set up, either standing or for use
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copy to be set in type
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a secretion or discharge, such as pus
-
law
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something to be proved
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statements or allegations to be considered by a court
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as regards that
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See grey matter
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regardless of; irrespective of
no matter what the excuse, you must not be late
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(sentence substitute) it is unimportant
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wrong; the trouble
there's nothing the matter
verb
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to be of consequence or importance
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to form and discharge pus
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Something that has mass. Most of the matter in the universe is composed of atoms which are themselves composed of subatomic particles.
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See also energy state of matter
Synonym Usage
Matter, material, stuff, substance refer to that of which physical objects are composed (though all these terms are also used abstractly). Matter, as distinct from mind and spirit, is a broad word that applies to anything perceived, or known to be occupying space: solid matter; gaseous matter. Material usually means some definite kind, quality, or quantity of matter, especially as intended for use: woolen material; a house built of good materials. Stuff, a less technical word, with approximately the same meanings as material, is characterized by being on an informal level when it refers to physical objects ( Dynamite is queer stuff ), and on a literary or poetic one when it is used abstractly ( the stuff that dreams are made on ). Substance is the matter that composes a thing, thought of in relation to its essential properties: a sticky substance.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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mattersimple
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matterssimple
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have matteredperfect
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has matteredperfect
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am matteringprogressive
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are matteringprogressive
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is matteringprogressive
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have been matteringperfect progressive
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has been matteringperfect progressive
Past
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matteredsimple
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had matteredperfect
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was matteringprogressive
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were matteringprogressive
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had been matteringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of matter
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English mater(e), materie, from Anglo-French, Old French mat(i)ere, materie, from Latin māteria “woody part of a tree, material, substance,” derivative of māter “mother”; see also mother 1
Explanation
Matter is everywhere: anything that has mass and takes up space is matter. Air? Donuts? People? Buildings? Melted butter? All of these, and much, much more, are matter. Other kinds of matter don't have a physical form, like a concern, problem, or even something that people think about, like a worrisome money matter, a personal matter, or a movie with a particular subject matter. Matter can also be a verb, meaning "to be important," as in: "Good health matters to me."
Vocabulary lists containing matter
The Mother of All Lists: Mater, Matr
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Quantum of Vocabulary: the Parlance of Particle Physics
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Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer - Introductory
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
In conversation there, Burke mentioned recent action against the local branch of an Egyptian bank that had dealings with Iran, people familiar with the matter said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
Once again, the matter rushed up to the Supreme Court.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
Naturally, folks on social media aren’t thrilled with Kraft’s take on this matter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
Back on stage at Mount Temple, Bono paid tribute to his alma matter for allowing the band to flourish.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
“Miss ten Boom! It’s a matter of life and death! If I don’t get it right away, she’ll be taken to Amsterdam and then it will be too late.”
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
“The elaborate pageantry matters precisely because there is still relatively little substantive progress to showcase,” Singleton said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
For many in the aerospace industry, the human element still matters as much as it did in Yeager's day.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
Exercise specifics do not need to be publicly disclosed; what matters is ensuring that these weapons can actually be employed when needed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
Another weak auction of Treasury notes certainly didn’t help matters.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
Nothing else matters beyond the flames in her eyes.
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
What the camera saw mattered almost as much as where it was looking from.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
All that mattered was playing the character I wrote.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
The dimensions of both the swellings and their narrow connecting segments mattered.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 17, 2026
The rights holder typically airs specials promoting the show on affiliated TV stations and morning show segments, although those advantages have mattered less in recent years as traditional viewing has diminished.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
What mattered was that the general public didn’t have a problem pouring millions of dollars into training and overseeing Glitchers as long as it kept the future intact.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
Yet overall yield levels could start mattering a lot more in markets if the 10-year Treasury yield were to top 5%.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026
"Several analysts argue that the second-quarter number itself may end up mattering less than what management says about the quarter ahead," said Axel Rudolph, a market analyst at IG.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
As commander-in-chief, he noted, "you are worshipped and loved by all today, not loved by everyone tomorrow, and are guilty of everything the day after tomorrow, with none of your achievements mattering".
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
We’ll see several startling upsets in this round that won’t end up mattering, along with a disheartening number of 0-0 and 1-1 draws.
From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026
When I join Isabella and Julia at our table, I look over where Alex stood singing, and think about getting up there and yelling about my life mattering, but I sure don’t do it.
From "A Good Kind of Trouble" by Lisa Moore Ramée
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
