Word · CEFR A1 · Frequency #370
matter
事情；问题；议题
an affair, situation, or subject that is being dealt with or considered; a concern or problem
the matter 常指“问题、麻烦”，如 What's the matter?
- 1.
Material; substance.
物质；材料
- 2.
a vaguely specified concern
模糊指定的关切之事
- 3.
An affair, condition, or subject, especially one of concern or (especially when preceded by the) one that is problematic.
事务；状况；主题,尤其是关注或有问题的事项
- 4.
some situation or event that is thought about
被思考的某种情况或事件
- 5.
An approximate amount or extent.
大约的数量或范围
- 6.
that which has mass and occupies space
具有质量并占据空间的物质
- 7.
Legal services provided by a lawyer or firm to their client in relation to a particular issue.
律师或事务所为客户提供的法律服务
- 8.
Importance.
重要性
物质；材料；重要性；要紧；大约数量；范围；法律事务；案件；模糊指定的关切之事
In use
This is a serious matter that requires immediate attention.
Let's discuss the matter further at the meeting.
The scientist studied the properties of matter.
several matters to attend to
it is a matter for the police
physicists study both the nature of matter and the forces which govern it
Connections
Collocations
- a matter of time
- 时间问题
- It's only a matter of time before they find out.他们发现只是时间问题。
- a serious matter
- 严重的事情
- This is a serious matter that needs careful consideration.这是一件需要仔细考虑的严重事情。
- subject matter
- 主题内容
- The subject matter of the book is quite complex.这本书的主题内容相当复杂。
- private matter
- 私事
- I'd rather not discuss this private matter.我宁愿不讨论这件私事。
- printed matter
- 印刷品
- All printed matter must be declared at customs.所有印刷品必须在海关申报。
- a matter of opinion
Learner notes
Memory Tip
记忆：matter既指'物质'也指'事情'，物质构成了事情。
Context & Register
日常对话和一般写作
Grammar Note
作‘事情’解时可数，常用单数a matter；作‘物质’解时不可数。
Pronunciation & Spelling
All listed words rhyme with 'matter' (stressed /æ/ followed by /tə/) and share the spelling pattern -atter. Be careful not to confuse them with words like 'meter' (/ˈmiːtə/) or 'mattress' (/ˈmætrəs/), which look similar but sound different.
High-value vocabulary
该词属于 Oxford 核心词汇，值得优先掌握常见搭配和句型。
Usage priority
Collins 词频等级为 5，建议结合例句记忆，而不是只背中文释义。
Learn the forms together
页面下方列出了常见词形变化。学习时注意它们在句子中的语法位置。
Dictionary facts from DICTIONARY_API_DEV, ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.