1
a
: a subject under consideration
Several other matters will come before the committee.
b
: a subject of disagreement or litigation
The matter in dispute is basically trivial.
c
matters plural
: the events or circumstances of a particular situation
planned to discuss matters with her husband soon
d
: the subject or substance of a discourse or writing
A graceful style was not enough to hide a paucity of matter.
e
: something of an indicated kind or having to do with an indicated field or situation
this is a serious matter
as a matter of policy
matters of faith
f
: something to be proved in law
g
obsolete
: sensible or serious material as distinguished from nonsense or drollery
i
: problem, difficulty
What's the matter?
2
a
: the substance of which a physical object is composed
c
: a material substance of a particular kind or for a particular purpose
vegetable matter
d(1)
: material (such as feces or urine) discharged from the living body
(2)
: material discharged by suppuration : pus
3
a
: the indeterminate subject of reality
especially
: the element in the universe that undergoes formation and alteration
b
: the formless substratum of all things which exists only potentially and upon which form acts to produce realities
4
: a more or less definite amount or quantity
cooks in a matter of minutes
5
: something written or printed
matter suitable for photocomposition
6
: mail entry 1
first-class matter
7
Christian Science
: the illusion that the objects perceived by the physical senses have the reality of substance
mattered; mattering; matters
Synonyms
Examples of matter in a Sentence
Noun
He has a few personal matters to deal with.
Disagreement is one thing, but accusations of lying are a different matter altogether!
Can matter and energy be changed into each other?
Verb
It may not matter to you, but it matters a lot to me!
“Why are you being so quiet?” “Does it matter?” “Of course it matters!”
Recent Examples on the Web
Britney Nguyen, Quartz, 14 Nov. 2024
For some endangered species, old-growth forest matters immensely.
—April Ehrlich, ProPublica, 12 Nov. 2024
Braidon Nourse, The Denver Post, 16 Nov. 2024
Put your energy into what matters most, and consider journeys that lead to enlightenment, travel and mastering skills.
—Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 15 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for matter 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Teams at Google have made progress in recent months on software for AI models that resemble humanlike reasoning abilities, Bloomberg reported in October, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter.
—Britney Nguyen, Quartz, 14 Nov. 2024
For some endangered species, old-growth forest matters immensely.
—April Ehrlich, ProPublica, 12 Nov. 2024
Verb
What matters most to Franks is how his team bounces back.
—Braidon Nourse, The Denver Post, 16 Nov. 2024
Put your energy into what matters most, and consider journeys that lead to enlightenment, travel and mastering skills.
—Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 15 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for matter
Articles Related to matter
Dictionary Entries Near matter
Cite this Entry
“Matter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/matter. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
matter
1 of 2 noun
mat·ter
ˈmat-ər 
1
a
: a subject of interest or concern
a matter of dispute
b
: something to be dealt with : affair
personal matters to take care of
2
a
: the substance of which a physical object is composed
especially
: the material substance that occupies space, has mass, and makes up the observable universe
b
: material substance of a particular kind or function
vegetable matter
c
: pus
3
: a more or less definite amount or quantity
cooks in a matter of minutes
4
: something written or printed
5
: mail entry 1 sense 1
first-class matter
matter
2 of 2 verb
: to be of importance : signify
Medical Definition
Legal Definition
matter
noun
mat·ter
1
: a subject of consideration, disagreement, or litigation: as
a
: a legal case, dispute, or issue
a matter within the court's jurisdiction
—often used in titles of legal proceedingsmatter of Doe
see also in re
b
: one or more facts, claims, or rights examined, disputed, asserted, proven, or determined by legal process
—
matter in controversy
: matter sense 1
called also matter in dispute
: the monetary amount involved in a case
—
matter in issue
: a matter that is in dispute as part or all of a legal issue
—
matter of fact
: a matter primarily involving proof or evidence rather than a question of law
—
matter of form
: a matter concerning form or details often of a relatively inessential nature rather than substance
a petition invalid because of a matter of form
—
matter of law
: a matter involving or consisting of the application of law
entitled to judgment as a matter of law—National Law Journal
National Law Journal
—
matter of record
: a matter (as a fact) entered on the record of a court or other official body
the security interest was a matter of record
—
matter of substance
: a matter concerning the merits of a case rather than form or relatively inessential details
2
: written, printed, or postal material
obscene matter
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