DictionaryAI

matter

MAT-ur/ˈmæt.ɚ/UKMAT-uh/ˈmæt.ə/

Pluralmatters

Verbmatters, mattering, mattered

14 meanings of matter

Practice

  1. 1
    issue at handnouncountable or uncountable
    An affair, situation, or subject being considered or dealt with, often one that causes concern, including a case a lawyer handles for a client.

    The board postponed the matter until further evidence arrived.

    Funding shortfalls are a pressing matter for every department this year.

    UsageCommon in set phrases: as a matter of fact (in fact), to make matters worse, a matter of opinion.

    Similarissue, affair, question, subject, concern

    Note

    Older writers also used it for the subject of a work. In Paradise Lost (1667), Milton calls the Son of God's name 'the copious matter of my song.'

    Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

    • Older writers used 'matter' for the subject of a work. gutenberg.org
    • Milton wrote Paradise Lost, first published in 1667. christs.cam.ac.uk
    • The quoted words 'the copious matter of my song' occur in Paradise Lost. gutenberg.org
  2. 2
    be importantverbintransitive
    To be important or significant.

    These details matter when you're assembling the engine.

    What you do today will matter for years to come.

    UsageThe thing is the subject, with to for the person: it matters to me. It doesn't matter kindly answers an apology.

    Similarcount

  3. 3
    noun
    The source of trouble or the thing that has gone wrong, used with the, as in the question What's the matter?

    Is anything the matter, or are you just tired from the trip?

    The doctor couldn't find anything the matter with his knee.

    UsageAsk what's the matter? and add with for the person or thing: what's the matter with him? Said sharply, it sounds rude.

  4. 4
    anything with massnouncountable or uncountable
    Physical substance in general: anything that has mass and takes up space.

    All matter is composed of atoms and molecules.

    Scientists study how matter behaves at extreme temperatures.

    Similarsubstance, material

    Note

    The physical sense from which the word's other meanings grow. Physics sharpens the idea into a test of mass and volume.

    Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

    • Matter is conventionally defined physically by having mass and occupying volume. science.nasa.gov
  5. 5
    nouncountable or uncountable
    Physical material or substance of a particular kind.

    Organic matter enriches the soil as it breaks down.

    The filter traps fine particulate matter from the air.

    UsageAlmost always after a describing word: organic matter, plant matter, particulate matter.

    Similarmaterial, substance, stuff

    Note

    Here the word usually needs a partner in front of it to say which stuff is meant: vegetable matter, organic matter, particulate matter. The modifier does the identifying, and the phrase names a category rather than one material. That suits writing about soil, compost or air, where the exact substance is mixed or unknown.

  6. 6
    rough amountnouncountable or uncountable
    An approximate amount, extent, or span of something.

    Recovery is now a matter of weeks rather than months.

    The finish line was a matter of inches away.

    UsageUse a matter of before a measure: a matter of minutes, a matter of inches. It often suggests a small amount.

    Similarquestion

    Note

    Older English stretched it further. In The Way of the World (1700), Congreve has someone 'tarry a small Matter in Town', meaning a little while.

    Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

    • The Way of the World was first published in 1700. publish.uwo.ca
    • Congreve wrote The Way of the World. en.wikisource.org
    • The quoted words occur in the play, spoken by Sir Wilfull Witwoud; 'a small matter' refers to a little while. en.wikisource.org

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of matter apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

This word came through Middle English and Anglo-Norman from Old French materie, from Latin materia ('wood'), which itself came from mater ('mother'). It is a doublet of words like matrix and mother, and it displaced the older Middle English andwork.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 4 facts