What does "matter" mean?
Material; substance.; Anything with mass and volume.
Matter
/ˈmæt.ə/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Material; substance.; Anything with mass and volume.
- Grammar: matter is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: material, substance, activities, activity.
- Useful contrasts: not matter, alma, amounts.
- Usage evidence: "What's the matter?" asked the little white rabbit.
How to use "matter"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "matter" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "matter" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "matter" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "matter" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "matter" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "material" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "matter", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Material; substance.; Anything with mass and volume. countable, uncountable
- 2 that which has mass and occupies space wordnet
- 3 Material; substance.; Matter made up of normal particles, not antiparticles. countable, uncountable
- 4 (used with negation) having consequence wordnet
- 5 Material; substance.; A kind of substance. countable, uncountable
"vegetable matter"
Show 13 more definitions
- 6 a vaguely specified concern wordnet
- 7 Material; substance.; Printed material, especially in books or magazines. countable, uncountable
"He always took some reading matter with him on the plane."
- 8 a problem wordnet
- 9 Material; substance.; Aristotelian: undeveloped potentiality subject to change and development; formlessness. Matter receives form, and becomes substance. countable, uncountable
- 10 some situation or event that is thought about wordnet
- 11 An affair, condition, or subject, especially one of concern or (especially when preceded by the) one that is problematic. countable, uncountable
"Something is the matter with him."
- 12 written works (especially in books or magazines) wordnet
- 13 An approximate amount or extent. countable, uncountable
"I stayed for a matter of months."
- 14 Legal services provided by a lawyer or firm to their client in relation to a particular issue. countable
"Please find attached an invoice for three outstanding matters."
- 15 Essence; pith; embodiment. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"He is the matter of virtue."
- 16 (The) inducing cause or reason, especially of anything disagreeable or distressing. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"And this is the matter why interpreters upon that passage in Hosea will not consent it to be a true story, that the prophet took a harlot to wife."
- 17 Pus. countable, dated, uncountable
- 18 Importance. uncountable
"What matter if we unrewarded must strive, / If Wall Street and gamblers around it may thrive? / What matter if we doubly pay for our food / To support the monopolist kings of the road?"
Verb
- 1 To be important. intransitive, stative
"The only thing that matters to Jim is being rich."
- 2 have weight; have import, carry weight wordnet
- 3 To care about, to mind; to find important. Caribbean, England, regional, transitive
"Besides, if it had been out of doors I had not mattered it so much; but with my own servant, in my own house, under my own roof […]"
- 4 To form pus or matter, as an abscess; to maturate. archaic, intransitive
"Each slight sore mattereth."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Example
""What's the matter?" asked the little white rabbit."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "matter"?
Common synonyms include: material, substance, activities, activity, ado, affair.
How do you use "matter" in a sentence?
"What's the matter?" asked the little white rabbit.
How do you pronounce "matter"?
Pronounced /ˈmæt.ə/.
Etymology
From Middle English matere, mater, from Anglo-Norman matere, materie, from Old French materie, matiere, from Latin materia (“wood”), from mater (“mother”), in which case cognate with Old Armenian մայր (mayr, “cedar”) and մայրի (mayri, “forest”). Doublet of Madeira, mata, mater, matrix, and mother. Displaced Middle English andweorc, andwork (“material, matter”), from Old English andweorc (“matter, substance, material”), Old English intinga (“matter, affair, business”).