substance

American  

[suhb-stuhns] / ˈsʌb stəns /

noun

• substances
  plural

1. that of which a thing consists; physical matter or material.

   form and substance.

2. a species of matter of definite chemical composition.

   a chalky substance.

3. controlled substance.

4. the subject matter of thought, discourse, study, etc.

   Synonyms:

   subject, theme

5. the actual matter of a thing, as opposed to the appearance or shadow; reality.

   Synonyms:

   essence

6. substantial or solid character or quality.

   claims lacking in substance.

7. consistency; body.

   soup without much substance.

8. the meaning or gist, as of speech or writing.

   Synonyms:

   pith, import, significance

9. something that has separate or independent existence.

10. Philosophy.

    1. something that exists by itself and in which accidents or attributes inhere; that which receives modifications and is not itself a mode; something that is causally active; something that is more than an event.

    2. the essential part of a thing; essence.

    3. a thing considered as a continuing whole.

11. possessions, means, or wealth.

    to squander one's substance.

12. Linguistics. the articulatory or acoustic reality or the perceptual manifestation of a word or other construction (distinguished from form).

13. a standard of weights for paper.

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idioms

1. in substance,

   1. concerning the essentials; substantially.

   2. actually; really.

      That is in substance how it appeared to me.

substance British  

/ ˈsʌbstəns /

noun

1. the tangible matter of which a thing consists

2. a specific type of matter, esp a homogeneous material with a definite composition

3. the essence, meaning, etc, of a written or spoken thought

4. solid or meaningful quality

5. material density

   a vacuum has no substance

6. material possessions or wealth

   a man of substance

7. philosophy

   1. the supposed immaterial substratum that can receive modifications and in which attributes and accidents inhere

   2. a thing considered as a continuing whole that survives the changeability of its properties

8. Christian Science that which is eternal

9. a euphemistic term for any illegal drug

10. with regard to the salient points

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substance More Idioms  

1. see in substance; sum and substance.

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Synonym Usage

See matter.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• substanceless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• substances
  plural

Etymology

Origin of substance

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Latin substantia “substance, essence” (literally, “that which stands under, i.e., underlies”), equivalent to sub- “under, beneath” + -stant- (stem of stāns, present participle of stāre “to stand”) + -ia noun suffix; see sub-, stand, -ia; see also -ance

Explanation

Any material that possesses physical properties is called a substance. The word also refers to the gist or main idea of something. If you remember the main point of a lesson, you've got the substance. The meaning of the noun substance has evolved over time, yet it has always been related to something sound and solid — from the Latin root substare, which means "to stand firm," to the Middle English definition as an "essential nature." Nowadays, we use the word to define someone who possesses honesty and intelligence, or when we examine a message to find its essence. To be thought of as a "person of substance" is a good thing, but to be thought of as a "substance abuser" is not so good.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

substance substances

Most common by far is injecting the gel-like substance hyaluronic acid - the same key ingredient used in lip fillers.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

Cartridges fixed on the aircraft's wings contain a substance that, when dispersed, sticks to cloud droplets, making them heavy enough to fall as rain.

From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026

The yeasts may have been capable of using the substance as a source of food.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026

As for “nastiness,” that’s probably about substance more than tone.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

Several fairies crashed to the church floor, wings snarled in the goopy substance.

From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull

There are supplement-testing programmes which batch test products before they are sold to make sure they do not contain any Wada-prohibited substances.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

Ohl criticised the "biological view" being pushed online that the human body is "capital" to be exploited by taking chemical substances to improve one's physical appearance.

From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026

Air India is to test all of its pilots for banned substances, starting immediately.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

Companies can consider their substances “generally recognized as safe” and avoid a regulatory process—a system that opponents call the “GRAS loophole.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

He left the decision on whether to push ahead with the patent on radioactive substances to Poillon, who was not so willing to give up.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Related Words

• amount
• effect
• meat
• significance
• strength
• stuff
• subject