substance

SUB-stuhns/ˈsʌbstəns/

8 meanings of substance

1
nouncountable
The stuff that physical things are made of.
Like the wood, metal, or plastic that things around you are made of.
Glass is a hard, clear substance you can see through.
Scientists studied a strange substance found deep in the cave.
Similarmatter, stuff
Note
2
noununcountable
The most important part of something: the main idea or point.
Like the main idea of a story, not the small details.
The substance of her speech was simple: work hard and be kind.
I arrived late and missed the substance of the meeting.
Similargist, crux
Note
3
nouncountable
A drug that is against the law to use or sell.
He spent years fighting his addiction to a dangerous substance.
The clinic helps people who struggle with substance use.
Similardope, gear
Note
4
nouncountable
A kind of matter that always has the same makeup and the same properties.
Like sugar, which is the same stuff in every spoonful you take.
Water is a pure substance made only of hydrogen and oxygen.
Salt is a substance with the same makeup in every grain.
Similarmatter, stuff
5
noununcountable
The money, property, and things that a person owns.
Like everything a person owns added up: their money, house, and land.
She came from a family of great substance and owned much land.
He gave away most of his substance to help the poor.
Similarwealth, means, property
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6
noununcountable
The quality of being solid, firm, or real.
Like a thick blanket that feels solid in your hands, not thin and weak.
The wool had real substance and felt thick and warm.
The thin paper had little substance and tore easily.
Similarsolidity, body, weight
7
nouncountable or uncountable
The real, deep nature of a thing: what it truly is underneath.
Like the real you that stays the same even as you change clothes or grow older.
Philosophers asked what the true substance of the soul might be.
He believed the substance of a thing stays the same even when its shape changes.
Similaressence
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Less common meaning

8
verbraretransitive
To make an idea or thing real and solid.
Like turning a rough sketch into a finished, solid building.
Good evidence can substance a claim that once seemed like a guess.
The calm ruminating / Reverie, substancing / Intellect into emotion, / Is shelter enough for love / Unhumiliated by faith.
1982, Dhupaty V. K. Raghavacharyulu, The Song of the Red Rose and Other PoemsHere, substancing means making something real or solid, giving it form.
Similarsubstantiate
Note

Practice

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Origin

It came through Old French from Latin substantia, meaning 'substance' or 'essence'. This came from a word meaning 'to stand under'.