2 N‑PLURAL [no det] You use matters to refer to the situation you are talking about, especially when something is affecting the situation in some way. □ The new system should improve matters. □ If it would facilitate matters, I would be happy to come to New York. □ Matters took an unexpected turn.
3 N‑SING If you say that a situation is a matter of a particular thing, you mean that that is the most important thing to be done or considered when you are involved in the situation or explaining it. □ [+ of ] History is always a matter of interpretation. □ [+ of ] Jack had attended these meetings as a matter of routine for years.
4 N‑UNCOUNT Printed matter consists of books, newspapers, and other texts that are printed. Reading matter consists of things that are suitable for reading, such as books and newspapers. □ Better education created an ever-larger demand for printed matter. □ …a rich variety of reading matter.
5 N‑UNCOUNT Matter is the physical part of the universe consisting of solids, liquids, and gases. □ A proton is an elementary particle of matter.
6 N‑UNCOUNT You use matter to refer to a particular type of substance. □ …waste matter from industries.
7 N‑SING You use matter in expressions such as ' What's the matter? ' or ' Is anything the matter? ' when you think that someone has a problem and you want to know what it is. □ Carole, what's the matter? You don't seem happy. □ She told him there was nothing the matter. [Also + with ]
8 N‑SING You use matter in expressions such as ' a matter of weeks ' when you are emphasizing how small an amount is or how short a period of time is. [EMPHASIS ] □ Within a matter of days she was back at work.
9 VERB [no cont] If you say that something does not matter , you mean that it is not important to you because it does not have an effect on you or on a particular situation. □ [V ] A lot of the food goes on the floor but that doesn't matter. □ [V wh] As long as staff are smart, it does not matter how long their hair is. □ [V that] Does it matter that people don't know this? □ [V + to ] Money is the only thing that matters to them.
10 → see also grey matter , subject matter
11 PHRASE If you say that something is another matter or a different matter , you mean that it is very different from the situation that you have just discussed. □ You have to take control of your career. But relationships are a different matter.
12 PHRASE If you are going to do something as a matter of urgency or priority, you are going to do it as soon as possible, because it is important. □ You need to talk about it with your doctor as a matter of urgency.
13 PHRASE If something is no easy matter , it is difficult to do it. □ Choosing the colour for the drawing-room walls was no easy matter.
14 PHRASE If someone says that's the end of the matter or that's an end to the matter , they mean that a decision that has been taken must not be changed or discussed any more. □ 'He's moving in here,' Maria said. 'So that's the end of the matter.'
15 PHRASE You use the fact of the matter is or the truth of the matter is to introduce a fact which supports what you are saying or which is not widely known, for example because it is a secret. □ The fact of the matter is that most people consume far more protein than they actually need.
16 PHRASE You can use for that matter to emphasize that the remark you are making is true in the same way as your previous, similar remark. [EMPHASIS ] □ The irony was that Shawn had not seen her. Nor for that matter had anyone else.
17 CONVENTION You say ' it doesn't matter ' to tell someone who is apologizing to you that you are not angry or upset, and that they should not worry. □ 'Did I wake you?'—'Yes, but it doesn't matter.'
18 PHRASE If you say that something is no laughing matter , you mean that it is very serious and not something that you should laugh or joke about. □ Their behaviour is an offence. It's no laughing matter.
19 PHRASE If you say that something makes matters worse , you mean that it makes a difficult situation even more difficult. □ Don't let yourself despair; this will only make matters worse.
20 PHRASE You use no matter in expressions such as ' no matter how ' and ' no matter what ' to say that something is true or happens in all circumstances. □ No matter what your age, you can lose weight by following this program.
21 PHRASE If you say that you are going to do something no matter what , you are emphasizing that you are definitely going to do it, even if there are obstacles or difficulties. [EMPHASIS ] □ He had decided to publish the manuscript no matter what.
22 PHRASE If you say that a statement is a matter of opinion , you mean that it is not a fact, and that other people, including yourself, do not agree with it. □ 'We're not that contrived. We're not that theatrical.'—'That's a matter of opinion.'
23 PHRASE If you say that something is just a matter of time , you mean that it is certain to happen at some time in the future. □ It would be only a matter of time before he went through with it.
24 a matter of life and death → see death
25 as a matter of course → see course
26 as a matter of fact → see fact