INDEX:
1. a solid or liquid substance
2. material for making clothes, curtains etc
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ SOFT
↑ HARD
↑ STRONG (4-5)
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1. a solid or liquid substance
▷ substance /ˈsʌbstəns/ [countable noun]
a type of solid or liquid, such as a chemical, a mineral, or something produced by a plant :
▪ Poisonous substances, such as garden chemicals, should be clearly labelled.
▪ Resin is a dark, sticky substance.
▪ the problem of disposing of radioactive substances
▪ The green colour of the leaf is due to a substance called chlorophyll.
▷ material /məˈtɪ ə riəl/ [countable/uncountable noun]
any solid substance that can be used for making things :
▪ Steel is a stronger material than iron.
▪ The company supplies building materials such as bricks and cement.
▪ A layer of insulating material should be placed between the panels and the solid wall.
▷ stuff /stʌf/ [uncountable noun] especially spoken, informal
a substance :
▪ What’s that sticky stuff on the floor?
▪ Do you have any of that clear plastic stuff to cover food with?
▷ matter /ˈmætəʳ/ [uncountable noun] formal
any physical substance - used especially in science :
▪ They are investigating an area of space that contains more than the usual amount of matter.
▪ the forces exerted between particles of matter
vegetable/organic matter
▪ In order to decompose, all vegetable matter needs supplies of nitrogen.
waste matter
▪ Dietary fibre makes waste matter from the food we eat pass through our bodies quickly.
2. material for making clothes, curtains etc
▷ material /məˈtɪ ə riəl/ [countable/uncountable noun]
a material woven from threads, which is used for making clothes or curtains, covering furniture etc :
▪ She was wearing a long black dress made of some silky material.
▪ Some materials are easier to dye than others.
dress/curtain material
▪ Could I have six metres of that curtain material?
▷ fabric /ˈfæbrɪk/ [countable/uncountable noun]
woven material :
▪ I want to buy some fabric to make a skirt.
▪ Man-made fabrics such as polyester are easy to wash and iron.
▪ Rayon is used extensively to make furnishing fabrics.
▷ cloth /klɒθǁklɔːθ/ [uncountable noun]
woven material, especially made from natural substances such as cotton and wool :
▪ The main trade was the production of woollen cloth.
▪ She ran her eye over the rolls of brightly-coloured cloth displayed on the stall.
cloth [adjective]
▪ The diamonds were contained in cloth bags bags made of cloth .
▷ textiles /ˈtekstaɪlz/ [plural noun] formal
woven material - use this especially to talk about the business of producing and selling material :
▪ Textiles are one of Mexico’s main exports.
▪ Modern textiles can look too bright in an old building.
textile industry
▪ The textile industry is booming, with profits up 15% on last year.