I. mat ‧ ter 1 S1 W1 /ˈmætə $ -ər/ BrE AmE noun
[ Date: 1100-1200 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: matere , from Latin materia 'matter, substance' , from mater 'mother' ]
1 . SUBJECT/SITUATION [countable] a subject or situation that you have to think about or deal with:
There are important matters we need to discuss.
matter for
The legal arrangements for the sale are a matter for negotiation.
REGISTER
Matter is used especially in formal or official contexts. In everyday English, people usually use subject , or just say it :
▪ I’ve talked to him about the matter. ➔ I’ve talked to him about it.
2 . matters [plural] a situation that you are in or have been describing:
Maybe some of these suggestions will help to improve matters.
Matters can be more easily sorted out once you get to the resort.
His long absences didn’t help matters (=made the situation worse) .
to make matters worse (=used to say that something makes a bad situation worse)
The team has lost the last two games and, to make matters worse, two of its best players are injured.
to complicate matters further (=used to say that something makes a complicated situation more complicated)
To complicate matters further, the law on this issue has been changed.
3 . MATERIAL [uncountable]
a) the material that everything in the universe is made of, including solids, liquids, and gases:
particles of matter
b) waste/solid/organic/vegetable etc matter a substance that consists of waste material, solid material etc
c) a yellow or white substance in wounds or next to your eye
4 . as a matter of fact spoken used when adding more details about what you have just said:
‘Have you had many visitors yet?’ ‘No, as a matter of fact you’re the first.’
I knew him when we were in college – as a matter of fact we were on the same course.
⇨ ↑ matter-of-fact
5 . what’s the matter?/something’s the matter/nothing’s the matter etc spoken used to ask or talk about why someone seems worried, unhappy, or ill, why something about a situation seems wrong, or why a machine seems not to be working properly:
What’s the matter? You look as though you’ve been crying.
‘Is something the matter?’ ‘Just a headache – I’ll be fine in a minute.’
You look worried. Is there anything the matter?
What’s the matter with Bill?
What’s the matter with your eye? It looks red.
I know something’s the matter. You’re frightened of something.
Nothing’s the matter, honestly, I’m fine.
There was nothing the matter with it (=it was all right) when I lent it to him.
She had something the matter with her back.
6 . the truth/fact of the matter is (that) spoken used when saying what you think is really true concerning a situation:
The truth of the matter is that we don’t know exactly how the disease is spread.
7 . for that matter used to say that what you are saying about one thing is also true about something else:
Ben never touched beer, or any kind of alcohol for that matter.
He’s an artist who has never been as well-known here, or for that matter as well-respected, as he has been in the USA.
8 . be (quite) a different matter ( also be (quite) another matter ) especially British English used to say that a situation or action is very different from the one you have just mentioned, and may not be as easy, pleasant etc:
She didn’t mind seeing him in a group but an intimate dinner in a restaurant was another matter altogether.
9 . take matters into your own hands to deal with a problem yourself because other people have failed to deal with it:
Local people took matters into their own hands and hired their own security guards.
10 . it’s only/just a matter of time used to say that something will definitely happen in the future:
It can only be a matter of time before someone is seriously injured.
11 . a matter of life and/or death a situation that is extremely serious or important, especially one in which someone could die:
The quality of the ambulance service is a matter of life and death.
Can’t it wait? It’s hardly a matter of life or death, is it?
12 . be a matter of opinion used to say that people have different opinions about something, especially when you yourself have a negative opinion:
Whether or not he is any good as a manager is a matter of opinion.
13 . be a matter of (personal) taste/choice/preference used to say that different people like different things:
I can’t say which wine is best – it’s a matter of personal taste.
14 . be a matter of principle to be something that you feel you must or must not do, because of your moral principles:
She couldn’t take the money. It was a matter of principle.
15 . be a matter of doing something used to say that an action involves doing something
be simply/largely/merely etc a matter of doing something
Reducing the number of road deaths is not simply a matter of improving roads.
16 . a matter of seconds/weeks/hours etc only a few seconds, weeks etc:
The ambulance arrived in a matter of minutes.
The bullet missed his head by a matter of inches.
17 . as a matter of something because of a particular belief or quality:
He invited her as a matter of courtesy.
As a matter of fairness, he should be allowed to give his version of events.
18 . as a matter of interest British English spoken used when you ask or tell someone something that interests you but is not important:
Just as a matter of interest, which school did you go to?
19 . as a matter of urgency if something is done or should be done as a matter of urgency, it is done or should be done very soon:
That procedure should be streamlined as a matter of urgency.
20 . as a matter of course/routine if something is done as a matter of course or routine, it is the correct and usual thing to do in a particular situation:
We will contact your former employer as a matter of course.
21 . no matter how/whether/what etc ( also no matter the ... ) used to say that something is true or that something happens whatever the situation is:
Feeding a baby is a messy job no matter how careful you are.
I’m determined to visit Japan no matter what it costs.
He visited her every day no matter the weather.
22 . no matter what spoken used to say that you will definitely do something:
I’ll call you tonight, no matter what.
23 . no matter spoken formal or old-fashioned used to say that something is not important and will not affect a situation:
‘I’m afraid I forgot to bring a towel.’ ‘No matter, I’ve got one you can borrow.’
24 . it’s a matter of fact (that) used to say that something is a fact:
It’s a matter of fact that the team have not performed as well this season.
25 . the little/small matter of something spoken something that is not important or not difficult – used when you really think something is important or difficult:
He seemed unworried by the small matter of the war that was in progress.
There’s the small matter of tonight’s game if we are to reach the finals.
26 . no matter that used to say that something is not important and will not affect a situation:
I would always be an outsider here – no matter that I spoke fluent Spanish.
27 . reading/printed etc matter things that are written for people to read:
As well as textbooks and other printed matter, courses may include video and audio cassettes.
⇨ ↑ grey matter , ↑ subject matter , ⇨ not mince matters at ↑ mince 1 (3), ⇨ mind over matter at ↑ mind 1 (43)
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ adjectives
▪ a serious/important matter
It is a very serious matter to mislead the police.
▪ an urgent matter (=something that needs to be dealt with quickly)
▪ a weighty matter (=an important matter)
I was surprised that this weighty matter was decided so quickly.
▪ a small/trivial matter (=a matter that is not important)
Walking out over such a small matter may seem ridiculous.
▪ a simple/easy matter (=something that is easy to do)
Putting together the bookcases is a fairly simple matter.
▪ a personal/private matter
We never spoke about personal matters.
▪ a financial/legal/religious etc matter
This is a legal matter and should be discussed with a solicitor.
▪ a practical matter
He wrote to him several times about practical matters to do with the house.
■ verbs
▪ discuss the matter
She refused to discuss the matter.
▪ raise the matter (with somebody) (=discuss something with someone)
If you need further training, raise the matter with your manager.
▪ consider the matter (=think about something)
▪ settle/resolve the matter (=decide something)
They are meeting tonight to settle the matter.
▪ pursue the matter (=keep discussing or asking about something)
She decided not to pursue the matter, as it obviously upset him.
▪ investigate the matter (=try to find out the truth about something)
The police said they were investigating the matter.
▪ let the matter rest/drop (=stop discussing or worrying about something)
I was too curious to let the matter drop.
■ phrases
▪ a matter of importance (=something important)
He consulted her on all matters of importance.
▪ a matter of concern (=something that concerns people)
Safety standards in the industry have become a matter of concern.
▪ a matter for debate/negotiation/discussion (=something to be debated/negotiated etc)
How to solve the housing crisis is a matter for debate.
▪ a matter for speculation/conjecture (=something people discuss and wonder about)
His future had become a matter for speculation.
▪ be a matter for somebody (to decide) (=be something that a particular person should decide)
This is a matter for the judge.
▪ the matter at hand ( also the matter in hand British English ) (=the thing you are dealing with now)
Do not let yourself be distracted from the matter in hand.
▪ be no laughing matter (=be something serious and important, though it might seem funny)
A doctor’s bad handwriting is no laughing matter, because it can lead to errors.
▪ the heart/crux of the matter (=the most important part of something)
The crux of the matter is: how do we prevent these floods from happening again?
▪ matters arising from/out of something (=things connected with or caused by a particular event)
Are there any matters arising from the report which you wish to discuss?
• • •
THESAURUS
■ a solid or liquid substance
▪ material noun [uncountable and countable] a substance, especially one that can be used for making things:
building materials
|
The island has to import oil and other raw materials (=materials used for making things) .
|
radioactive material
▪ substance noun [countable] a type of material such as a chemical or a mineral:
The green colour of the leaf is due to a substance called chlorophyll.
|
Dioxin is one of the most toxic substances known to man.
▪ matter noun [uncountable] formal a type of substance – used especially in the following phrases:
waste matter from the body
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It is important to add plenty of organic matter to the soil.
|
People throw away lots of vegetable matter.
▪ stuff noun [uncountable] informal a substance - used especially when you do not know exactly what it is:
What’s that sticky stuff on the floor?
II. matter 2 S1 W3 BrE AmE verb
1 . [intransitive not in progressive] to be important, especially to be important to you, or to have an effect on what happens
it doesn’t etc matter if
Will it matter if I’m a little late?
If I have to stay late at work tonight, it won’t matter because we can go out another night.
it doesn’t etc matter who/why/what etc
It doesn’t matter what you wear, as long as you look neat and tidy.
Does it matter what I think?
it doesn’t etc matter that
It does not matter that the gun was in fact unloaded.
Do you think it matters that the cups and saucers don’t match?
it doesn’t matter about something
Just give me $5 – it doesn’t matter about the rest.
matter to
He had lost many of the people who mattered to him.
matter a lot/a great deal
It mattered a great deal to her what other people thought of her.
not matter much/matter little
I don’t think it matters much what you study.
campaigning on issues that really matter
all that matters/the only thing that matters
All that matters is that you’re safe.
Money was the only thing that mattered to him.
I don’t care what it looks like – what matters is that it works.
At last she was with the man she loved and nothing else mattered.
She said very little during the meal. Not that it mattered (=it was not important) .
2 . it doesn’t matter spoken
a) used to tell someone that you are not angry or upset about something, especially something that they have done:
‘I’ve spilled some coffee on the carpet.’ ‘It doesn’t matter.’
b) used to say that you do not mind which one of two things you have:
‘Red or white wine?’ ‘Oh, either. It doesn’t matter.’
3 . what does it matter? spoken used to say that something is not important:
It all happened so long ago now, what does it matter?
What does it matter how old I am?