matter


Definition: Meaning of, matter in English to English dictionary.

Pronunciation: / ˈmatə /

  • noun
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Word Forms:
Singular Plural
matter matters
  1. SUBJECT/SITUATION [countable] a subject or situation that you have to think about or deal with
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  2. matters [plural] a situation that you are in or have been describing
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  3. MATERIAL [uncountable] the material that everything in the universe is made of, including solids, liquids, and gases
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  4. MATERIAL [uncountable] waste/solid/organic/vegetable etc matter a substance that consists of waste material, solid material etc
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  5. MATERIAL [uncountable] a yellow or white substance in wounds or next to your eye
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  6. as a matter of fact spoken used when adding more details about what you have just said
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  7. what's the matter?/something's the matter/nothing's the matter etc spoken used to ask or talk about why someone seems worried, unhappy, or ill, why something about a situation seems wrong, or why a machine seems not to be working properly
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  8. the truth/fact of the matter is (that) spoken used when saying what you think is really true concerning a situation
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  9. for that matter used to say that what you are saying about one thing is also true about something else
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  10. be (quite) a different matter also be (quite) another matter especially British English used to say that a situation or action is very different from the one you have just mentioned, and may not be as easy, pleasant etc
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  11. take matters into your own hands to deal with a problem yourself because other people have failed to deal with it
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  12. it's only/just a matter of time used to say that something will definitely happen in the future
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  13. a matter of life and/or death a situation that is extremely serious or important, especially one in which someone could die
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  14. be a matter of opinion used to say that people have different opinions about something, especially when you yourself have a negative opinion
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  15. be a matter of (personal) taste/choice/preference used to say that different people like different things
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  16. be a matter of principle to be something that you feel you must or must not do, because of your moral principles
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  17. be a matter of doing something used to say that an action involves doing something
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  18. a matter of seconds/weeks/hours etc only a few seconds, weeks etc
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  19. as a matter of something because of a particular belief or quality
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  20. as a matter of interest British English spoken used when you ask or tell someone something that interests you but is not important
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  21. as a matter of urgency if something is done or should be done as a matter of urgency, it is done or should be done very soon
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  22. as a matter of course/routine if something is done as a matter of course or routine, it is the correct and usual thing to do in a particular situation
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  23. no matter how/whether/what etc also no matter the ... used to say that something is true or that something happens whatever the situation is
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  24. no matter what spoken used to say that you will definitely do something
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  25. no matter spoken formal or old-fashioned used to say that something is not important and will not affect a situation
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  26. it's a matter of fact (that) used to say that something is a fact
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  27. the little/small matter of something spoken something that is not important or not difficult - used when you really think something is important or difficult
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  28. no matter that used to say that something is not important and will not affect a situation
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  29. reading/printed etc matter things that are written for people to read
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synonym
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  • verb
  • synonym
  • antonym
Word Forms:
Prsesent Past Past Participle
matter mattered mattered
Present Participle Third Person Singular
mattering matters
  1. [intransitive not in progressive] to be important, especially to be important to you, or to have an effect on what happens
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  2. it doesn't matter spoken used to tell someone that you are not angry or upset about something, especially something that they have done
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  3. it doesn't matter spoken used to say that you do not mind which one of two things you have
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  4. what does it matter? spoken used to say that something is not important
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synonym
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matter used in phrases

  • as a matter of fact (adverb)
    1. in reality or actuality
  • back matter (noun)
    1. written matter following the main text of a book
  • conservation of matter (noun)
    1. a fundamental principle of classical physics that matter cannot be created or destroyed in an isolated system
  • crux of the matter (noun)
    1. the most important point
  • dark matter (noun)
    1. does not absorb or emit light cosmology a hypothetical form of matter that is believed to make up 90 percent of the universe; it is invisible and does not collide with atomic particles but exerts gravitational force
  • end matter (noun)
    1. written matter following the main text of a book
  • faecal matter (noun)
    1. solid excretory product evacuated from the bowels
  • fecal matter (noun)
    1. solid excretory product evacuated from the bowels
  • for that matter (adverb)
    1. as far as that is concerned
  • front matter (noun)
    1. all the pages at the very beginning of a book, including the page with the title on it
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