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
But its stock price quickly fell, losing about 50% of its value in a matter of weeks after news that Trump Media reported losses of $58 million in 2023.
—
Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2024
Chinlund framed the issue as a matter of creative storytelling.
—Anna Wiener, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
Peering back to the time period close to the Big Bang is not simply a matter of having a larger mirror – astronomers have already done it using other satellites that observe microwave emission from very soon after the Big Bang.
—Discover Magazine, 11 Apr. 2024
The burden will be on the copyright owner to prove that the site is dedicated to infringement and enabling piracy, with the entire process taking place in a matter of months opposed to years if a studio were to initiate a lawsuit.
—Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Apr. 2024
Digging deeper, however, Petersen suspects that this better diet quality was largely a matter of avocados taking the place of less nutritious foods.
—Sarah Garone, Health, 10 Apr. 2024
And the technology underlying generative AI chatbots lets hoaxers spoof election websites or spawn pretend news sites in a matter of seconds and on a mammoth scale.
—Mekela Panditharatne, TIME, 10 Apr. 2024
That means your kid can be back to bed in a matter of minutes.
—Kelsey Kunik, Parents, 10 Apr. 2024
According to the outlet, detectives ended the investigation after contacting both parties involved and concluding that this was a matter of a family dispute.
—Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024
Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2024
Chinlund framed the issue as a matter of creative storytelling.
—Anna Wiener, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
Peering back to the time period close to the Big Bang is not simply a matter of having a larger mirror – astronomers have already done it using other satellites that observe microwave emission from very soon after the Big Bang.
—Discover Magazine, 11 Apr. 2024
The burden will be on the copyright owner to prove that the site is dedicated to infringement and enabling piracy, with the entire process taking place in a matter of months opposed to years if a studio were to initiate a lawsuit.
—Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Apr. 2024
Digging deeper, however, Petersen suspects that this better diet quality was largely a matter of avocados taking the place of less nutritious foods.
—Sarah Garone, Health, 10 Apr. 2024
And the technology underlying generative AI chatbots lets hoaxers spoof election websites or spawn pretend news sites in a matter of seconds and on a mammoth scale.
—Mekela Panditharatne, TIME, 10 Apr. 2024
That means your kid can be back to bed in a matter of minutes.
—Kelsey Kunik, Parents, 10 Apr. 2024
According to the outlet, detectives ended the investigation after contacting both parties involved and concluding that this was a matter of a family dispute.
—Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'a matter of.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near 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 25 Apr. 2024.
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