Từ điển trực tuyến

matter

US: /ˈmætɝ/

UK: /mˈætɐ/

English Vietnamese dictionary

matter /'mætə/

danh từ
- chất, vật chất
  - solid matter: chất đặc
  - liquid matter: chất lỏng
  - gaseous matter: chất khí
- đề, chủ đề, nội dung
  - the matter of a poem: chủ đề của bài thơ
- vật, vật phẩm
  - printed matter: ấn phẩm
- việc, chuyện, điều, sự kiện, vấn đề
  - it is a very important matter: đấy là một việc rất quan trọng
  - it is no laughing matter: đây không phải là chuyện đùa
  - it is only a matter of habit: đó chỉ là vấn đề thói quen
  - a matter of life and dealth: một vấn đề sống còn
  - what's the matter with you?: anh làm sao thế?, anh có vấn đề gì thế?
- việc quan trọng, chuyện quan trọng
  - it is no great matter: cái đó không phải là điều quan trọng ghê gớm
  - no matter: không có gì quan trọng; không có gì đáng lo ngại cả
- số ước lượng, khoảng độ (thời gian, không gian, số lượng...)
  - a matter of six kilometers: khoảng độ sáu kilômét
- lý do, nguyên nhân, cớ, lẽ, cơ hội
  - no matter for complaint: không có lý do gì để than phiền cả
- (y học) mủ

nội động từ
- có ý nghĩa, có tính chất quan trọng
  - it does not matter much, does it?: cái đó không có gì quan trọng lắm phải không?
- (y học) mưng mủ, chảy mủ

Advanced English dictionary

noun, verb
+ noun
subject / situation
1 [C] a subject or situation that you must consider or deal with
Synonym: AFFAIR
It's a private matter. + They had important matters to discuss. + She may need your help with some business matters. + I always consulted him on matters of policy. + It's a matter for the police (= for them to deal with). + That's a matter for you to take up with your boss. + Let's get on with the matter in hand (= what we need to deal with now). + I wasn't prepared to let the matter drop (= stop discussing it). + It was no easy matter getting him to change his mind. + It should have been a simple matter to check. + (ironic) And then there's the little matter of the fifty pounds you owe me. + (formal) It was a matter of some concern to most of those present (= something they were worried about). + I did not feel that we had got to the heart of the matter (= the most important part). + And that is the crux of the matter (= the most important thing about the situation).
2 (matters) [pl.] the present situation, or the situation that you are talking about
Synonym: THINGS
Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do to improve matters. + I'd forgotten the keys, which didn't help matters. + Matters were made worse by a fire in the warehouse. + And then, to make matters worse, his parents turned up. + I decided to take matters into my own hands (= deal with the situation myself). + Matters came to a head (= the situation became very difficult) with his resignation.
problem
3 (the matter) [sing.] ~ (with sb/sth) used (to ask) if sb is upset, unhappy, etc. or if there is a problem: What's the matter? Is there something wrong? + Is anything the matter? + Is something the matter with Bob? He seems very down. + There's something the matter with my eyes. + 'We've bought a new TV.' 'What was the matter with the old one?' + What's the matter with you today (= why are you behaving like this)? + What on earth was the matter with her, she wondered. She'd come here to enjoy herself and here she was, stuck on her own in the hotel.
a matter of sth / of doing sth
4 [sing.] a situation that involves sth or depends on sth
Synonym: QUESTION
Learning to drive is all a matter of coordination. + Planning a project is just a matter of working out the right order to do things in. + That's not a problem. It's simply a matter of letting people know in time. + Some people prefer the older version to the new one. It's a matter of taste. + She resigned over a matter of principle. + The government must deal with this as a matter of urgency. + (spoken) Just as a matter of interest (= because it is interesting, not because it is important), how much did you pay for it? + 'I think this is the best so far.' 'Well, that's a matter of opinion (= other people may think differently).
substance
5 [U] (technical) physical substance in general that everything in the world consists of; not mind or spirit: to study the properties of matter
6 [U] a substance or things of a particular sort: Add plenty of organic matter to improve the soil. + elimination of waste matter from the body + She didn't approve of their choice of reading matter.
See also - SUBJECT MATTER
Idioms: as a matter of fact (spoken)
1 used to add a comment on sth that you have just said, usually adding sth that you think the other person will be interested in: It's a nice place. We've stayed there ourselves, as a matter of fact.
2 used to disagree with sth that sb has just said: 'I suppose you'll be leaving soon, then?' 'No, as a matter of fact I'll be staying for another two years.'
be another / a different matter to be very different: I know which area they live in, but whether I can find their house is a different matter.
for that matter (spoken) used to add a comment on sth that you have just said: I didn't like it much. Nor did the kids, for that matter.
it's just / only a matter of time (before ...) used to say that sth will definitely happen, although you are not sure when: It's only a matter of time before they bring out their own version of the software.
(as) a matter of course the usual and correct thing that is done: We always check people's addresses as a matter of course.
a matter of hours, minutes, etc.
a matter of inches, metres, etc. only a few hours, minutes, etc: It was all over in a matter of minutes. + The bullet missed her by a matter of inches.
a matter of life and death used to describe a situation that is very important or serious
a matter of record (formal) something that has been recorded as being true
no matter (spoken) used to say that sth is not important
no matter who, what, where, etc. used to say that sth is always true, whatever the situation is, or that sb should certainly do sth: They don't last long no matter how careful you are. + Call me when you get there, no matter what the time is.
more at FACT, LAUGHING
+ verb
~ (to sb) (not used in the progressive tenses) to be important or have an important effect on sb/sth: [V] The children matter more to her than anything else in the world. + It doesn't matter to me what you do. + 'What did you say?' 'Oh, it doesn't matter' (= it is not important enough to repeat).' + 'I'm afraid I forgot that book again.' 'It doesn't matter (= it is not important enough to worry about).' + What does it matter if I spent $100 on it-it's my money! + As long as you're happy, that's all that matters. + After his death, nothing seemed to matter any more. + He's been in prison, you know-not that it matters (= that information does not affect my opinion of him). + [V wh-] Does it really matter who did it? + [V that] It didn't matter that the weather was bad.

Thesaurus dictionary

1 material, substance, stuff, sum and substance:

Some yellowish matter oozed out of the wound. It is a question of mind over matter

2 situation, issue, question, affair, business, subject, topic, condition, thing, fact, concern; occurrence, episode, incident, event, occasion, proceeding:

It was a matter of life and death. His loss of face is not a matter that need involve you

3 problem, difficulty, trouble, complication, worry, upset, dilemma, quandary, enigma, puzzle:

What is the matter?

4 content, essentials, pith, context, theme, argument, purport, implication; signification, meaning, meaningfulness, import, importance, significance, moment, weight, consequence:

Pay attention to the matter in his speech, not his manner. It is of little matter to me whether you go or not

5 amount, sum, quantity, question:

It was only a matter of a few pennies' difference.

6 be important or of importance, count, be of consequence, make a difference, mean something:

What you think matters a great deal.

Collocation dictionary

¹ subject/situation that must be dealt with

ADJ.

important, pressing, serious, urgent, weighty

He left, saying he had pressing matters to attend to. The question of his innocence is a weighty matter for this court.

| awkward, complex, complicated, delicate, difficult

I wasn't sure how to approach the delicate matter of pay.

| no easy, (no) simple

It is then a simple matter to print off the data you have collected. It is no simple matter starting a new business.

| trifling, trivial | practical

They've agreed in theory, but now we need to discuss practical matters.

| family, personal | subject

His articles deal with a wide range of subject matter.

| economic, environmental, financial, legal, political, procedural, routine, technical

The rest of the meeting was taken up by routine matters.

| different

I don't mind lizards, but snakes are a different matter.

VERB + MATTER

bring up, broach, raise

I thought I'd better broach the matter with my boss. The matter will be raised at our next meeting.

| address, debate, discuss, go into, take up

I don't really want to go into this matter now.

| pursue, take further

After legal advice I chose to take the matter further.

| drop

His lawyer advised him to drop the matter.

| consider, examine, look at/into, tackle | clarify, clear up, decide, resolve, settle

It's a relief to have the matter settled.

| approach, deal with, treat

Police are treating the matter as a murder enquiry.

PREP.

in a/the ~

I don't have much experience in these matters. Do I have any choice in the matter?

| on a/the ~

Speak to your manager if you need help on this matter.

| ~ for

The incident is definitely a matter for the police.

| ~ of

It's a matter of concern to all of us. We discussed the matter of whether or not to hire a bus. Getting the effect you want is a matter of trial and error.

PHRASES

the crux/heart of the matter

(= the most important part of a subject/situation),

let the matter drop/rest

She refused to let the matter rest.

| the matter in hand

Let's concentrate on the matter in hand for now, and leave other issues till later.

² matters: situation you are in

VERB + MATTER

complicate, confuse, make worse, not help

It didn't help matters that I had a terrible cold. To make matters worse, my friend then lost her keys.

| arrange

She always arranges matters to suit herself.

³ substance

ADJ.

solid | organic, vegetable

composed entirely of organic matter

| inanimate, inorganic | printed, written

ADV.

a great deal, a lot, really

These things matter a lot to young children.

| hardly, little

(formal),

not much, scarcely

She could find a job. It hardly mattered what.

| no longer, not any more

VERB + MATTER

not seem to

Somehow it didn't seem to matter much any more.

PREP.

about

It doesn't matter about the mess.

| to

It didn't matter to her that he was blind.

Concise English dictionary

matters|mattered|mattering'mætə(r)
noun
+that which has mass and occupies space
+a vaguely specified concern
+some situation or event that is thought about
+a problem
+(used with negation) having consequence
+written works (especially in books or magazines)
verb
+have weight; have import, carry weight