matter

mat|ter¹ W1S1 [ˈmætə US -ər] n

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1¦(SUBJECT/SITUATION)¦

2 matters

3¦(MATERIAL)¦

4 as a matter of fact

5 what's the matter?/something's the matter/nothing's the matter etc

6.) the truth/fact of the matter is (that)

7 for that matter

8 be (quite) a different matter

9 take matters into your own hands

10 it's only/just a matter of time

11 a matter of life and/or death

12 be a matter of opinion

13 be a matter of (personal) taste/choice/preference

14 be a matter of principle

15 be a matter of doing something

16 a matter of seconds/weeks/hours etc

17 as a matter of something

18 as a matter of interest

19 as a matter of urgency

20 as a matter of course/routine

21 no matter how/whether/what etc

22 no matter what

23 no matter

24 it's a matter of fact (that)

25 the little/small matter of something

26 no matter that

27 reading/printed etc matter

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[Date: 1100-1200; : Old French; Origin: matere, from Latin materia 'matter, substance', from mater 'mother']

1.) ¦(SUBJECT/SITUATION)¦

a subject or situation that you have to think about or deal with

▪ There are more important matters we need to discuss.

▪ It was a personal matter , and she had no intention of talking to any journalist about it.

▪ It will be a simple matter to find her.

▪ She held strong views on religious matters .

▪ He consulted Landers on all matters of importance .

▪ Safety standards in the industry have been a matter of concern for many years.

▪ The legal arrangements for the sale are matters for negotiation .

▪ This is a matter for the German people to decide.

▪ The whole situation may seem funny now, but it was no laughing matter at the time.

▪ Charles no longer loved her. That was the crux of the matter .

▪ I decided to raise the matter with my boss.

▪ He was too curious to let the matter drop .

▪ There are a number of matters arising out of this.

▪ We need to concentrate on the matter in hand .

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)¦[U]

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?/sth'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 BrE 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 sth

used to say that an action involves doing something

be simply/largely/merely etc a matter of doing sth

▪ 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 sth

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

BrE 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 sth

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 ↑mince¹ (3)

→mind over matter at ↑mind¹ (43)

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COLLOCATES for sense 1

a serious/important matter

a personal/private matter

a simple/easy matter (=something that is easy to do)

financial/legal/political/religious matters

a matter of importance

a matter of/for concern

a matter for discussion/negotiation/consideration etc

be a matter for somebody (to decide) (=be something that a particular person should deal with)

be no laughing matter (=something very serious)

the heart/crux of the matter (=the most important part of something)

raise a matter with somebody (=discuss something with someone)

let the matter rest/drop (=decide to stop worrying about something)

matters arising from/out of something (=things that come from or are connected with a particular event)

the matter at hand/in hand (=the thing you are dealing with now)

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matter ²

matter² W3S1 v

1.) [I 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 sth

▪ 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?