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
The generative AI boom, kickstarted by OpenAI's ChatGPT a little over three years ago, has rapidly pushed into the business realm, with new tools that can create apps, websites and other digital products in a matter of seconds or minutes with a few text prompts.
—
Jordan Novet, CNBC, 5 Feb. 2026
To some degree, this will be a matter of revising previous efforts to expand access to early-childhood education.
—Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2026
But Angulo’s approach seems more so a matter of choice, given her background as a graduate of the Altos de Chavón School of Art and Design in the Dominican Republic, where her family lived for 20 years after leaving Cuba.
—Benjamin Lima, Dallas Morning News, 5 Feb. 2026
For Brontë, the most accomplished poet in a family of formidable novelists, that love is above all a matter of words.
—New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
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Jordan Novet, CNBC, 5 Feb. 2026
To some degree, this will be a matter of revising previous efforts to expand access to early-childhood education.
—Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2026
But Angulo’s approach seems more so a matter of choice, given her background as a graduate of the Altos de Chavón School of Art and Design in the Dominican Republic, where her family lived for 20 years after leaving Cuba.
—Benjamin Lima, Dallas Morning News, 5 Feb. 2026
For Brontë, the most accomplished poet in a family of formidable novelists, that love is above all a matter of words.
—New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
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 6 Feb. 2026.
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