What does “matter” mean?
- 1
nouna subject or situation that you need to deal with
This is a serious matter.
- 2
verbto be important
It doesn’t matter if you’re a little late.
- 3
nounthe physical substance that everything is made of
Scientists study how matter behaves at high temperatures.
Matter at a glance
- Part of speech
- noun & verb
- CEFR level
- A2 (elementary)
- Pronunciation
- /ˈmætɚ/ · MAT-er
How to use “matter” correctly
“What’s the matter?” asks what is wrong. “Matter” is not used in continuous forms: “It matters”, not “It’s mattering”.
Common phrases with “matter”
- what’s the matter
- no matter what
- as a matter of fact
- it doesn’t matter
Synonyms, opposites and related words
Synonyms (similar meaning)
- issue
- affair
- count
“matter” is on these word lists
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