matter
(verb, noun)
past tense: mattered
LISTEN
You matter to me.
If something matters, it means that it is important.
- Your opinion matters to us.
Matter can also mean that something is a problem. We often use the negative, “It doesn’t matter.”
- It doesn't matter that you forgot your football shoes. You can still play.
A matter is an important situation or issue.
- The government debated the matter for months.
Common uses
When someone is unhappy and we want to know why, we often ask them what is the matter. For example, “You look sad. What’s the matter?”
When someone says that they did something and we want to tell them that it isn’t a problem for us, we often say that it doesn’t matter. For example: “Sorry, I broke your cup.” “It doesn’t matter. I didn’t like that cup anyway!”
In pop culture
“Doesn’t really matter” is a song from Janet Jackson. What is she singing about?
There are other meanings of matter.
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