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matter
[ mat-er ]
noun
- the substance or substances of which any physical object consists or is composed:
the matter of which the earth is made.
- 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.
- something that occupies space.
- a particular kind of substance:
coloring matter.
- a situation, state, affair, or business:
a trivial matter.
- an amount or extent reckoned approximately:
a matter of 10 miles.
- something of consequence:
matter for serious thought.
- importance or significance:
decisions of little matter.
Synonyms: moment
Whatever is the matter?
There is something the matter with the car.
- ground, reason, or cause:
a matter for complaint.
- the material or substance of a discourse, book, etc., often as distinguished from its form.
- things put down in words, especially printed:
reading matter.
- things sent by mail:
postal matter.
- a substance discharged by a living body, especially pus.
- Philosophy.
- that which by integrative organization forms chemical substances and living things.
- Aristotelianism. that which relates to form as potentiality does to actuality.
- Law. statement or allegation.
- Printing.
- material for work; copy.
- type set up.
- Christian Science. the concept of substance shaped by the limitations of the human mind.
matter
/ ˈmætə /
noun
- that which makes up something, esp a physical object; material
- substance that occupies space and has mass, as distinguished from substance that is mental, spiritual, etc
- substance of a specified type
vegetable matter
reading matter
- sometimes foll byof or for thing; affair; concern; question
a matter of taste
several matters to attend to
no laughing matter
- a quantity or amount
a matter of a few pence
- the content of written or verbal material as distinct from its style or form
- used with a negative importance; consequence
- philosophy (in the writings of Aristotle and the Scholastics) that which is itself formless but can receive form and become substance
- 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
- printing
- type set up, either standing or for use
- copy to be set in type
- a secretion or discharge, such as pus
- law
- something to be proved
- statements or allegations to be considered by a court
- for that matteras regards that
- See grey matter
- no matter
- regardless of; irrespective of
no matter what the excuse, you must not be late
- sentence substitute it is unimportant
- the matterwrong; the trouble
there's nothing the matter
verb
- to be of consequence or importance
- to form and discharge pus
matter
/ măt′ər /
- Something that has mass. Most of the matter in the universe is composed of atoms which are themselves composed of subatomic particles .
- See also energy
matter
Other Words From
- matter·ful adjective
- matter·less adjective
- non·matter noun
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of matter1
Idioms and Phrases
- a matter of life and death, something of vital or crucial importance.
- as a matter of fact, in reality; actually; in fact:
As a matter of fact, there is no substance to that rumor.
- 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.
- no matter,
- regardless or irrespective of:
We'll never finish on time, no matter how hard we work.
- it is unimportant; it makes no difference:
No matter, this string will do as well as any other.
More idioms and phrases containing matter
- crux of the matter
- for that matter
- gray matter
- mince matters
- mind over matter
- no joke (laughing matter)
- no matter
- the matter
Synonym Study
Example Sentences
In a matter of weeks, the rebels achieved what the United Nations, the U.S. and other Western powers long tried but failed to do.
But, in a matter of days, the Kremlin's Syria project has unravelled, with Moscow, apparently, powerless to do anything about it.
Sen. Alex Padilla, Butler’s closest colleague as California’s senior senator, said he expects that they will continue to collaborate no matter what she does next.
No matter which party is in charge, Congress has historically been averse to deep budget cuts.
To make matters worse, childcare workers make an average of $30,370 a year, placing them in the bottom 2% of occupations.
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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.
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