Every month, we take a look at a word in the headlines, in English, for your English. See more at The Word of the Month.
Definition
Matter: physical substance that occupies space.
A matter: a subject or issue.
To matter: to be of importance, to be significant.
Matter in the news
This month, the US put aside trivial matters like Covid and climate change to focus on its first passion: racism.
The filmed murder of George Floyd by American police has sparked global protests under the banner #blacklivesmatter.
Mind over matter
Dark Matter: Theoretical substance believed to make up 85% of the known universe. The other 15%? A matter of mystery.
Gray Matter: Informal term for “brains”. We opened up our heads to confirm the color because we’re smart.
Expressions that matter
What’s the matter with the police? Interactions with them shouldn’t be matters of life or death.
To make matters worse, police react to protests against police brutality with… brutality.
No laughing matter: There’s nothing funny about any of this.