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
Perovskite tends to suffer from long-term stability, with many cells degrading within only a matter of months.
—
Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 20 Dec. 2025
Sometimes, the disagreements are a matter of semantics.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 20 Dec. 2025
By the late 1970s, major companies were explicitly framing smoking as a matter of personal choice to deflect regulatory pressure and shift blame for disease onto consumers.
—Time, 19 Dec. 2025
Now, schedulemakers load those constraints and priorities into Fastbreak, which can spit out results in a matter of minutes, offering numerous schedules scored based on pre-set factors.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 19 Dec. 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.
Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 20 Dec. 2025
Sometimes, the disagreements are a matter of semantics.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 20 Dec. 2025
By the late 1970s, major companies were explicitly framing smoking as a matter of personal choice to deflect regulatory pressure and shift blame for disease onto consumers.
—Time, 19 Dec. 2025
Now, schedulemakers load those constraints and priorities into Fastbreak, which can spit out results in a matter of minutes, offering numerous schedules scored based on pre-set factors.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 19 Dec. 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 21 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share