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

Instead of searching nature for a substance with the needed properties, the LSU team chose to engineer one from the ground up.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 8, 2026

Social media has democratized food storytelling in remarkable ways, but it has also created an endless stream of restaurant rankings, viral menu hacks and “must-try” lists that reward speed over substance.

From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026

A Michigan spokesman said the school was focused on implementing recommendations stemming from the investigation and declined to comment on the substance of confidential interviews.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

They practically beg Roza to perform, and she sets to it, all talk and no substance.

From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper

The brain has its own specialized immune cells, along with the blood-brain barrier, which restricts many substances and cells from entering brain tissue.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026

Standard balloons, made of natural rubber, undergo sulphur vulcanization, with accelerators, activators and other substances added, said the scientists at Imperial.

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

It involves inserting electrodes made of materials such as zinc and copper into substances that contain moisture or ions, and then collecting the small but steady electrical currents.

From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026

Aristotle took the view that harder substances are denser and heavier than softer substances; it followed that ice is heavier than water.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

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