matter
noun
mat·ter
| \ ˈma-tər
\
\
Definition of matter
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a
: a subject under consideration
Several other matters will come before the committee.
b
: a subject of disagreement or litigation
The matter in dispute is basically trivial.
c
matters plural
: the events or circumstances of a particular situation
planned to discuss matters with her husband soon
d
: the subject or substance of a discourse or writing
A graceful style was not enough to hide a paucity of matter.
e
: something of an indicated kind or having to do with an indicated field or situation
this is a serious matter as a matter of policy matters of faith
f
: something to be proved in law
g
obsolete
: sensible or serious material as distinguished from nonsense or drollery
i
: problem, difficulty
What's the matter?
2a
: the substance of which a physical object is composed
c
: a material substance of a particular kind or for a particular purpose
vegetable matter
d(1)
: material (such as feces or urine) discharged from the living body
(2)
: material discharged by suppuration : pus
3a
: the indeterminate subject of reality
especially
: the element in the universe that undergoes formation and alteration
b
: the formless substratum of all things which exists only potentially and upon which form acts to produce realities
4
: a more or less definite amount or quantity
cooks in a matter of minutes
5
: something written or printed
matter suitable for photocomposition
6
: mail
first-class matter
7
Christian Science
: the illusion that the objects perceived by the physical senses have the reality of substance
as a matter of fact
for that matter
no matter
no matter what
the matter
: in fact : actually
: so far as that is concerned
: without regard to : irrespective of
points in the same direction no matter how it is tilted
: regardless of the costs, consequences, or results
wants to win, no matter what
: wrong
nothing's the matter with me
matter
verb
mattered;
mattering;
matters
Definition of matter (Entry 2 of 2)
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Synonyms for matter
Synonyms: Noun
content, motif, motive, question, subject, theme, topic
Synonyms: Verb
count, import, mean, signify, weigh
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Examples of matter in a Sentence
Noun
He has a few personal matters to deal with. Disagreement is one thing, but accusations of lying are a different matter altogether! Can matter and energy be changed into each other?Verb
It may not matter to you, but it matters a lot to me! “Why are you being so quiet?” “Does it matter?” “Of course it matters!”
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
To make matters worse, this explosion of sensuality is cloaked in parental silence. — Tim Parks, Harper's magazine, "Murder Italian Style," 19 Aug. 2019 But first there is the matter of his senior season back where his high school career began. — al, "Why Alabama HS quarterback is headed to Nebraska," 18 Aug. 2019 To make matters worse, Acuña was then thrown out trying to steal second. — Steve Gardner, USA TODAY, "Braves' Ronald Acuña Jr. benched for not hustling vs. Dodgers," 18 Aug. 2019 Enough to assure citizens that matters are under control? — David Campany, The New Yorker, "Life in Miami on the Knife’s Edge of Climate Change," 18 Aug. 2019 To make matters worse, Real announced Friday that the Belgian star has suffered a hamstring injury and will miss Saturday's season opener against Celta Vigo. — Matias Grez, CNN, "Real Madrid heads into the new season with more questions than answers," 16 Aug. 2019 To make matters worse, many adult kids are not in sync with their older parent’s affairs — not ideal when circumstances suddenly change. — Pat Kapowich, The Mercury News, "Sponsored: Keep your parent’s home in good shape and start preparing a move-out plan now," 15 Aug. 2019 To make matters worse, Dalton had a pass tipped at the line of scrimmage by Washington defensive tackle Daron Payne in the red zone and it was intercepted by safety Montae Nicholson and taken 96 yards to the house. — Tyler Dragon, Cincinnati.com, "Cincinnati Bengals beat Washington Redskins 23-13 in NFL Preseason Week 2 game," 15 Aug. 2019 To make matters worse, a government shutdown loomed, which meant the attorneys in charge of Carlos’ case were no longer getting back to her. — Melissa Del Bosque, ProPublica, "The Case That Made an Ex-ICE Attorney Realize the Government Was Relying on False “Evidence” Against Migrants," 13 Aug. 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Money, however, has never mattered much in Mr. King’s re-elections. — Trip Gabriel, New York Times, "J.D. Scholten Almost Beat Steve King in 2018. Now He’s Running Again.," 5 Aug. 2019 May not have mattered here, but Red Flag laws have proven to be effective in states that have them. — Andrew Prokop, Vox, "From condemning “white terrorism” to condemning video games: Republican responses to El Paso shooting," 4 Aug. 2019 None of this mattered at all to Zheng, who left San Jose carrying a precious trophy and her career-high-matching No. — Bruce Jenkins, SFChronicle.com, "Zheng Saisi, faring better than the event, wins San Jose tennis tournament," 4 Aug. 2019 That probably won’t matter to longtime fans, who will undoubtedly pick it up anyway. — Gieson Cacho, The Mercury News, "Review: ‘Madden NFL 20’ goes through the motions," 2 Aug. 2019 Despite that, Darcey says age doesn’t matter to her. — Tomás Mier, PEOPLE.com, "90 Day Fiancé’s Darcey Feels ‘Safe’ with New British Beau After ‘Toxic’ Relationship with Jesse," 2 Aug. 2019 Yet for many, those changes mattered little in light of the guardianship system. — Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, "Women in Saudi Arabia allowed to travel independently," 2 Aug. 2019 Those games matter only to get rookies some seasoning and for players on the fence to make a case. — Gentry Estes, The Courier-Journal, "For fantasy football players, the NFL preseason is the worst for a few reasons," 31 July 2019 This year's rate was set on July 1, so a reduction in the Fed's interest rate won't matter. — Erik Sherman, Fortune, "Mortgages, Credit Cards & Loans: Here’s What Will (and Won’t) Change If the Fed Cuts Interest Rates," 30 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'matter.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.