The matter is used after what, something, anything, or nothing to talk about a problem or difficulty. You use the matter in the same way as an adjective like wrong. For example, instead of saying 'Is something wrong?' you can say 'Is something the matter?'
Be Careful!
Don't use 'the matter' with this meaning in other types of sentence. Don't say, for example, 'The matter is that we don't know where she is'. Say 'The problem is that we don't know where she is' or 'The trouble is that we don't know where she is'.
When someone apologizes to you, you can say 'It doesn't matter.' Don't say 'No matter'.
You use no matter in expressions such as no matter what and no matter how to say that something happens or is true in all circumstances.
Don't use no matter to mention something that makes your main statement seem surprising. Don't say, for example, 'No matter the rain, we carried on playing'. Say 'In spite of the rain, we carried on playing' or 'Despite the rain, we carried on playing'
A matter is a situation that someone has to deal with.
You can use the plural form matters to refer to a situation that has just been discussed.
Be Careful!
When matters has this meaning, don't put 'the' in front of it. Don't say, for example 'His attitude did not help the matters.'
| Imperative |
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| matter |
| matter |
| Noun | 1. | matter - a vaguely specified concern; "several matters to attend to"; "it is none of your affair"; "things are going well" concern - something that interests you because it is important or affects you; "the safety of the ship is the captain's concern" least - something that is of no importance; "it is the least I can do"; "that is the least of my concerns" |
| 2. | matter - some situation or event that is thought about; "he kept drifting off the topic"; "he had been thinking about the subject for several years"; "it is a matter for the police"cognitive content, mental object, content - the sum or range of what has been perceived, discovered, or learned area - a subject of study; "it was his area of specialization"; "areas of interest include..." blind spot - a subject about which you are ignorant or prejudiced and fail to exercise good judgment; "golf is one of his blind spots and he's proud of it" remit - the topic that a person, committee, or piece of research is expected to deal with or has authority to deal with; "they set up a group with a remit to suggest ways for strengthening family life" res adjudicata, res judicata - a matter already settled in court; cannot be raised again | |
| 3. | matter - that which has mass and occupies space; "physicists study both the nature of matter and the forces which govern it" physical entity - an entity that has physical existence substance - the real physical matter of which a person or thing consists; "DNA is the substance of our genes" substance - a particular kind or species of matter with uniform properties; "shigella is one of the most toxic substances known to man" ylem - (cosmology) the original matter that (according to the big bang theory) existed before the formation of the chemical elements dark matter - (cosmology) a hypothetical form of matter that is believed to make up 90 percent of the universe; it is invisible (does not absorb or emit light) and does not collide with atomic particles but exerts gravitational force antimatter - matter consisting of elementary particles that are the antiparticles of those making up normal substances glop - any gummy shapeless matter; usually unpleasant fluid - continuous amorphous matter that tends to flow and to conform to the outline of its container: a liquid or a gas system - (physical chemistry) a sample of matter in which substances in different phases are in equilibrium; "in a static system oil cannot be replaced by water on a surface"; "a system generating hydrogen peroxide" residue - matter that remains after something has been removed solid - matter that is solid at room temperature and pressure solute - the dissolved matter in a solution; the component of a solution that changes its state emanation - something that is emitted or radiated (as a gas or an odor or a light, etc.) vegetable matter - matter produced by plants or growing in the manner of a plant | |
| 4. | matter - a problem; "is anything the matter?" | |
| 5. | matter - (used with negation) having consequence; "they were friends and it was no matter who won the games" consequence, moment, import - having important effects or influence; "decisions of great consequence are made by the president himself"; "virtue is of more moment than security"; "that result is of no consequence" | |
| 6. | matter - written works (especially in books or magazines); "he always took some reading matter with him on the plane"piece of writing, written material, writing - the work of a writer; anything expressed in letters of the alphabet (especially when considered from the point of view of style and effect); "the writing in her novels is excellent"; "that editorial was a fine piece of writing" dictation - matter that has been dictated and transcribed; a dictated passage; "he signed and mailed his dictation without bothering to read it" text, textual matter - the words of something written; "there were more than a thousand words of text"; "they handed out the printed text of the mayor's speech"; "he wants to reconstruct the original text" text - the main body of a written work (as distinct from illustrations or footnotes etc.); "pictures made the text easier to understand" typescript - typewritten matter especially a typewritten copy of a manuscript front matter, prelims - written matter preceding the main text of a book back matter, end matter - written matter following the main text of a book soft copy - (computer science) matter that is in a form that a computer can store or display it on a computer screen; "he sent them soft copy of the report" hard copy - (computer science) matter that is held in a computer and is typed or printed on paper; "he ran off a hard copy of the report" addendum, supplement, postscript - textual matter that is added onto a publication; usually at the end recitation - written matter that is recited from memory | |
| Verb | 1. | matter - have weight; have import, carry weight; "It does not matter much"be - have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun); "John is rich"; "This is not a good answer" |