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NAmE//ˈmæt̮ər//
[intransitive, transitive]Verb Forms present simple I / you / we / they matter he / she / it matters
past simple mattered
Check pronunciation: matter
Definition of matter verb from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
(not used in the progressive tenses) to be important or have an important effect on someone or something matter (to somebody) The children matter more to her than anything else in the world. “What did you say?” “Oh, it doesn't matter” (= it is not important enough to repeat).” “I'm afraid I forgot that book again.” “It doesn't matter (= it is not important enough to worry about).” What does it matter if I spent $100 on it—it's my money! As long as you're happy, that's all that matters. After his death, nothing seemed to matter any more. He's been in prison, you know—not that it matters (= that information does not affect my opinion of him). matter (to somebody) who, what, etc… Does it really matter who did it? It doesn't matter to me what you do. matter (to somebody) that… It didn't matter that the weather was bad.