a matter of
idiom
1
—used to refer to a small amount
It cooks in a matter of (a few) minutes.
The crisis was resolved in a matter of a few hours.
The ball was foul by a matter of inches.
2
—used to say that one thing results from or requires another
Learning to ride a bicycle is a matter of practice.
His success was just a matter of being in the right place at the right time.
It's only a matter of time before/until we catch him.
3
—used to explain the reason for something
She insists on honesty as a matter of principle.
All requests for free tickets are turned down as a matter of policy.
Examples of a matter of in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Serving, for him, is a matter of physics: force and mass, levers and acceleration.
—
Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2025
President Donald Trump has ordered his administration to increase logging, calling it a matter of critical national importance.
—Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2025
More Getty Images As a matter of fact, sports media consultant and former Fox Sports president Bob Thompson went as far to liken Belichick to Colorado Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders in that regard.
—Matthew Schmidt, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Aug. 2025
Blockchain may represent the next step, transforming security from a matter of policy enforcement to a matter of mathematical guarantee.
—Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for a matter of
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2025
President Donald Trump has ordered his administration to increase logging, calling it a matter of critical national importance.
—Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2025
More Getty Images As a matter of fact, sports media consultant and former Fox Sports president Bob Thompson went as far to liken Belichick to Colorado Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders in that regard.
—Matthew Schmidt, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Aug. 2025
Blockchain may represent the next step, transforming security from a matter of policy enforcement to a matter of mathematical guarantee.
—Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for a matter of
Cite this Entry
“A matter of.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/a%20matter%20of. Accessed 3 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share