matter

[ mat-er ]

See synonyms for: matter mattered mattering matters on Thesaurus.com

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.
difficulty; problem; trouble: 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.

verb (used without object)

to be of importance; signify: It matters little.
Pathology. to suppurate.

Idioms about matter

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: For that matter, you are no better qualified to judge than I.: Also for the matter of that .
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.

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 mother¹

synonym study For matter

1. 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.

word story For matter

Matter has a spectacular history. The English noun ultimately comes from Latin māteria (also māteriēs ) “timber, wood for building, the woody part of a tree (as opposed to the root or bark).” Māteria is a derivative of māter “mother, source, origin of (material and abstract) things.”
In the first century b.c., the Roman poet and Epicurean philosopher Lucretius and his elder contemporary Cicero, statesman and man of letters, began using māteria in the sense “any substance that makes up a physical object,” also “the basic substance of the physical universe,” a translation of Greek hýlē “timber, firewood, wood for building.” Two hundred years earlier, Aristotle was using hýlē in the extended sense “the basic substance of the physical universe, matter,” prefiguring the Romans.
Māteria maintained its original, pre-Aristotelian sense “wood” in Portuguese, becoming madeira by regular phonetic change. The island of Madeira is so called because it is (or was) thickly wooded, and the fortified wine originating on that island is known as Madeira or Madeira wine (first occurring in English at the end of the 16th century). Some would claim that, more than wood, wine is the basic substance, or stuff, of life.

Other words for matter

5	thing, concern
8	moment
11	content, subject, topic
19	count

See synonyms for matter on Thesaurus.com

Other words from matter

mat·ter·ful, adjective
mat·ter·less, adjective
non·mat·ter, noun

Words that may be confused with matter

madder, matter

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use matter in a sentence

The Department of the Interior, organizers pointed out, would be best filled by an Indigenous member, considering it addresses most matters related to tribal land and Indigenous affairs, including education.
The case for a Native American secretary of the interior | Rachel Ramirez | November 20, 2020 | Vox
Many such letters on regulatory matters are signed by multiple senators, sometimes dozens.
Georgia Senator David Perdue Privately Pushed for a Tax Break for Rich Sports Teamowners | by Robert Faturechi and Justin Elliott | November 20, 2020 | ProPublica
Brill said she could not comment on her conversations with the woman or any other personnel matter.
Junior Staffer Says Top Alaska Official Told Her to Keep Allegations of Misconduct Secret | by Kyle Hopkins, Anchorage Daily News | November 18, 2020 | ProPublica
Tropical peatlands are swampy forests that are found in regions around the Equator whose peat is composed mostly of dead tree matter, rather than moss as in other latitudes.
Conserving tropical peatlands could be key to preventing the next pandemic | Kat Eschner | November 17, 2020 | Popular-Science
Within a matter of essentially minutes, you could basically design a vaccine.
Moderna vaccine for COVID-19 appears nearly 95 percent effective | Erin Garcia de Jesus | November 16, 2020 | Science News For Students

And with so much more sense of meaning, of consequentiality, instead of nothing mattering.
Stephen King, “Falling,” and My Father’s Poetry | Christopher Dickey | September 14, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
“Yet the Golden Globes sided with Allen, in effect accusing Dylan either of lying or of not mattering,” he writes.
Dylan Farrow Takes Woody Allen, Hollywood, and Celebrity to Task | Soraya Roberts | February 2, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
When 10:59 becomes 11 p.m., and the programming changes to sitcom reruns, the events of the previous hour stop mattering.
‘Horribly Wrong’—Fox’s Live Suicide and the Thrill of the Police Chase | Eric Nusbaum | September 30, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
They seem very good pipes; and as there's six of them, you and I can break one a-piece if we like, Terry, without its mattering.
Little Miss Peggy | Mrs. Molesworth
If he was a mere bully he sneaked off, mattering that he should find a time.
The History of England from the Accession of James II. | Thomas Babington Macaulay
As for its not mattering—but you don't know who is downstairs.
When a Man's Single | J. M. Barrie
You will notice that their port is in the east, mattering not what wind may be blowing where you are.
Reading the Weather | Thomas Morris Longstreth
"It is beautiful country, Deane," she said, as if that were the thing mattering just then.
Fidelity | Susan Glaspell

British Dictionary definitions for matter

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 by of 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 matter as 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 matter wrong; the trouble: there's nothing the matter

verb(intr)

to be of consequence or importance
to form and discharge pus

Origin of matter

C13 (n), C16 (vb): from Latin māteria cause, substance, esp wood, or a substance that produces something else; related to māter mother

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for matter

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 state of matter.

Cultural definitions for matter

matter

In physics, something that has mass and is distinct from energy. (See phases of matter.)

Other Idioms and Phrases with matter

matter

In addition to the idioms beginning with matter

matter of course, a
matter of fact, a
matter of life and death, a
matter of opinion, a

also see:

crux of the matter
for that matter
gray matter
mince matters
mind over matter
no joke (laughing matter)
no matter
the matter

Browse