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matter definition

mat·ter (mat′ər)

noun

  1. what a thing is made of; constituent substance or material
  2. what all (material) things are made of; whatever occupies space and is perceptible to the senses in some way: in modern physics, matter and energy are regarded as equivalents, mutually convertible according to Einstein's formula, E = mc (i.e., energy equals mass multiplied by the square of the velocity of light); in dualistic thinking, matter is regarded as the opposite of mind, spirit, etc.
  3. any specified sort of substance coloring matter
  4. material of thought or expression; what is spoken or written, regarded as distinct from how it is spoken or written; content, as distinguished from manner, style, or form
  5. an amount or quantity, usually indefinite a matter of a few days
    1. something that is the subject of discussion, concern, action, etc.; thing or affair business matters
    2. cause, occasion, or grounds no matter for jesting
  7. the body of heroic stories and legends, as contained in a folk epic, regarded as central to a culture or literature the King Arthur stories make up the matter of Britain
    1. an important affair; thing of some moment or significance
    2. importance; moment; significance it's of no matter
  9. an unfavorable state of affairs; trouble; difficulty: with the something seems to be the matter
  10. documents, letters, etc. sent, or to be sent, by mail; mail second-class matter
  11. a substance discharged by the body; specif., pus
  12. Law something that is to be proved
  13. Philos. that which has yet to take on form; undifferentiated substance of reality or experience
  14. Printing
    1. written material prepared, or to be prepared, for printing; copy
    2. copy ready to be printed

Etymology: ME matiere < OFr < L materia, material, stuff, wood (< base of mater, mother), orig., the growing trunk of a tree

intransitive verb

  1. to be of importance or consequence; have significance the things that matter to one
  2. to form and discharge pus; suppurate
matter Idioms

as a matter of fact

for that matter

in regard to that; as far as that is concerned
also for the matter of that

no matter

  1. it is of no importance
  2. regardless of

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

idioms matter idiom

law matter definition - legal

medical matter definition - medical

matter Synonyms

matter

n.

  1. Substance

    body, material, substantiality, corporeality, corporeity, protoplasm, constituents, stuff, materialness, object, thing, physical world; see also element 2.

    Antonyms nothing*, nihility*, immateriality.

  2. Difficulty

    trouble, distress, perplexity; see difficulty 2.

  3. Subject

    interest, focus, resolution; see subject 1, theme 1, topic.

  4. An affair

    undertaking, circumstance, concern; see affair 1.

  5. Pus

    suppuration, maturation, discharge, purulence, ulceration, infection; see also sore.

as a matter of fact

in fact, in actuality, truly; see really 1.

for that matter

in regard to that, as far as that is concerned, concerning that; see and.

no matter

it doesn't matter, it is of no concern, regardless of; see regardless 2.


matter

v.

  1. To be of importance

    value, carry weight, weigh, signify, be substantive, be important, have influence, import, imply, denote, express, be of consequence, involve, be worthy of notice; see also mean 1.

  2. To form or discharge pus

    suppurate, come to a head, fester; see decay.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

matter Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • urgency: This must be done as a matter of some urgency.

Converse of object

  • discuss: The Course Director may also be contacted at any time during office hours by students wishing to discuss matters relating to the course.

Used with why or when

  • which: Press and hold the central locking switch; it does not matter which side.

Adjective modifier

  • subject: I think the subject matter is going to provoke worship for eternity.
matter usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

matter quotes

In our anguish we struggle To elude Him, to lie to Him, yet His love observes His appalling promise; His predilection As we wander and weep is with us to the end, Minding our meanings, our least matter dear to Him.

-Auden,W(ystan) H(ugh)

Vain matter is worse than vain words.

-Bacon, Francis,Viscount St Albans

Nothing matters very much, and very few things matter at all.

-Balfour, ArthurJames Balfour, 1st Earl

matter quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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"matter." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/matter>

APA Style

matter. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/matter

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