| 1. | the substance or substances of which any physical object consists or is composed: the matter of which the earth is made. |
| 2. | physical or corporeal substance in general, whether solid, liquid, or gaseous, esp. as distinguished from incorporeal substance, as spirit or mind, or from qualities, actions, and the like. |
| 3. | something that occupies space. |
| 4. | a particular kind of substance: coloring matter. |
| 5. | a situation, state, affair, or business: a trivial matter. |
| 6. | an amount or extent reckoned approximately: a matter of 10 miles. |
| 7. | something of consequence: matter for serious thought. |
| 8. | importance or significance: decisions of little matter. |
| 9. | difficulty; trouble (usually prec. by the): There is something the matter. |
| 10. | ground, reason, or cause: a matter for complaint. |
| 11. | the material or substance of a discourse, book, etc., often as distinguished from its form. |
| 12. | things put down in words, esp. printed: reading matter. |
| 13. | things sent by mail: postal matter. |
| 14. | a substance discharged by a living body, esp. pus. |
| 15. | Philosophy.
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| 16. | Law. statement or allegation. |
| 17. | Printing.
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| 18. | Christian Science. the concept of substance shaped by the limitations of the human mind. |
| 19. | to be of importance; signify: It matters little. |
| 20. | Pathology. to suppurate. |
| 21. | a matter of life and death, something of vital or crucial importance. |
| 22. | as a matter of fact, in reality; actually; in fact: As a matter of fact, there is no substance to that rumor. |
| 23. | for that matter, as far as that is concerned; as for that: For that matter, you are no better qualified to judge than I. Also, for the matter of that. |
| 24. | no matter,
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mat·ter (māt'ər) n.
To be of importance: "Love is most nearly itself/When here and now cease to matter" (T.S. Eliot). See Synonyms at count1. [Middle English, from Old French matere, from Latin māteria, wood, timber, matter, from māter, mother (because the woody part was seen as the source of growth); see māter- in Indo-European roots.] |
In physics, something that has mass and is distinct from energy. (See phases of matter.)
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as a matter of fact
and AAMOF
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matter mat·ter (māt'ər)
n.
Something that occupies space and can be perceived by one or more senses.
A specific type of substance.
Discharge or waste, such as pus or feces, from a living organism.
| matter (māt'ər) Pronunciation Key
Something that has mass. Most of the matter in the universe is composed of atoms which are themselves composed of subatomic particles. See also energy, state of matter. |