Material - English meaning

noun

The part of a picture, scene, or design that forms a setting for the main figures or objects, or appears furthest from the viewer.

Usage examples:

The house stands against a background of sheltering trees

verb

Form a background to.

Usage examples:

Windswept land backgrounded by the rockies

noun

Things that appear to be farther away or behind what is nearer or in front, esp. in a picture

Usage examples:

[ c ] he photographed the models against different backgrounds., [ u ] with so much noise in the ba…

noun

Woven or felted fabric made from wool, cotton, or a similar fibre.

Usage examples:

A broad piece of pleated cloth

noun

Material made by weaving cotton, wool, or other fibers, or a piece of such material

Usage examples:

[ u ] cloth diapers, [ u ] cloth napkins, [ u ] a cloth coat, [ c ] he used a damp cloth to clean t…

adjective

Existing in a material or physical form; not abstract.

Usage examples:

Concrete objects like stones

noun

A building material made from a mixture of broken stone or gravel, sand, cement, and water, which can be spread or poured into moulds and forms a mass resembling stone on hardening.

Usage examples:

Slabs of concrete

verb

Cover (an area) with concrete.

Usage examples:

The precious english countryside may soon be concreted over

adjective

Following as a result or effect.

Usage examples:

A loss of confidence and a consequential withdrawal of funds

adjective

Happening as a result of something

Usage examples:

We need to act now to avoid a recession and the consequential damage that would follow., analysts n…

adjective

Relating to a person's body, especially as opposed to their spirit.

Usage examples:

He was frank about his corporeal appetites

adjective

Physical and not spiritual

noun

Facts and statistics collected together for reference or analysis.

Usage examples:

There is very little data available

noun

A piece of information.

Usage examples:

The fact is a datum worth taking into account

noun

Information, especially facts or numbers, collected to be examined and considered and used to help decision-making, or information in an electronic form that can be stored and used by a computer

Usage examples:

The data was/were collected by various researchers., now the data is/are being transferred from mag…

noun

An individual fact or item.

Usage examples:

We shall consider every detail of the bill

verb

Give full information about.

Usage examples:

The report details proposals to improve public transport

phrase

Information about someone or something

Usage examples:

A police officer took down the details of what happened., uk can i have your details (= name and ad…

noun

A substance, such as mud or dust, that soils someone or something.

Usage examples:

Jo wiped the dirt off her face

noun

Earth or a substance like it that has gotten on the surface of something such as your skin

Usage examples:

I sat on the ground and got dirt on my pants., after the rain, the woods smelled of wet dirt and gr…

noun

Material that provides official information or evidence or that serves as a record.

Usage examples:

You will have to complete the relevant documentation

noun

Official papers, or written material that provides proof of something

noun

Official or legal documents that are needed in order to prove something

Usage examples:

Provide/produce documentation many lenders are now requiring borrowers to provide documentation of …

noun

A piece of written, printed, or electronic matter that provides information or evidence or that serves as an official record.

Usage examples:

The site provides access to official documents and reports, but not any political analysis.

verb

Record (something) in written, photographic, or other form.

Usage examples:

The photographer spent years documenting the lives of miners

noun

A drug taken illegally for recreational purposes, especially cannabis.

Usage examples:

My dad caught me smoking dope

verb

Administer drugs to (a racehorse, greyhound, or athlete) in order to enhance or inhibit sporting performance.

Usage examples:

The horse was doped before the race

adjective

Administer drugs to (a racehorse, greyhound, or athlete) in order to inhibit or enhance sporting performance.

Usage examples:

The horse was doped before the race

adjective

Relating to the earth or human life.

Usage examples:

Water is liquid at normal earthly temperatures

adjective

Absolutely necessary; extremely important.

Usage examples:

It is essential to keep up-to-date records

noun

A thing that is absolutely necessary.

Usage examples:

We only had the bare essentials in the way of equipment

adjective

Extremely important or necessary

Usage examples:

A knowledge of spanish is essential for this job., there is an essential difference between the two…

noun

The available body of facts or information indicating whether a belief or proposition is true or valid.

Usage examples:

The study finds little evidence of overt discrimination

verb

Be or show evidence of.

Usage examples:

The quality of the bracelet, as evidenced by the workmanship, is exceptional

noun

Anything that helps to prove that something is or is not true

Usage examples:

These figures are being given as evidence of economic growth., the fbi has found no evidence of a c…

noun

Cloth or other material produced by weaving or knitting fibres.

Usage examples:

Heavy cream fabric

noun

Cloth or woven material, or a type of this material

Usage examples:

[ u ] cotton fabric, [ c ] wash delicate fabrics by hand., extreme social activism might rip apart …

noun

Cloth

Usage examples:

Consumers are demanding lighter, easy-to-care-for fabrics., competition from overseas fabric produc…

noun

A thing that is known or proved to be true.

Usage examples:

He ignores some historical and economic facts

noun

Information.

Usage examples:

You've got more gen on him than we have

verb

Find out about.

Usage examples:

We genned up on the agencies that had done the work

noun

Short for generation.

Usage examples:

The next gen of consoles

noun

A thought or suggestion as to a possible course of action.

Usage examples:

The idea of linking pay to performance has caught on

adjective

Of great significance or value.

Usage examples:

Important habitats for wildlife

adjective

Of great value, meaning, or effect

Usage examples:

An important discovery, [ + that clause ] it’s important that you tell the doctor all your symptoms…

noun

Information.

Usage examples:

The essential info that every seasoned traveller knows

noun

Facts provided or learned about something or someone.

Usage examples:

A vital piece of information

noun

News, facts, or knowledge

Usage examples:

An important piece of information, can you give us some information on tours to alaska?, informatio…

noun

Facts or details about a person, company, product, etc.

Usage examples:

Gather/get/obtain information can you tell me where i can obtain further information?, ask for/requ…

noun

A small piece of shaped metal with incisions cut to fit the wards of a particular lock, which is inserted into a lock and turned to open or close it.

Usage examples:

There were two keys to the cupboard

adjective

Of crucial importance.

Usage examples:

She became a key figure in the suffragette movement

verb

Enter or operate on (data) by means of a computer keyboard or telephone keypad.

Usage examples:

Not everyone can key data quickly and accurately

verb

Put (something) down gently or carefully.

Usage examples:

She laid the baby in his cot

noun

Used with an abstract noun so that the phrase formed has the same meaning as the verb related to the noun used, e.g. ‘lay the blame on’ means ‘to blame’.

Usage examples:

She laid great stress on little courtesies

adjective

Not ordained into or belonging to the clergy.

Usage examples:

A lay preacher

adjective

Used to describe a person or action that is very dishonest and unfair

Usage examples:

That was a low-down thing to do.

adjective

Important, serious, or significant.

Usage examples:

The use of drugs is a major problem

noun

A rank of officer in the army and the us air force, above captain and below lieutenant colonel.

Usage examples:

One e-mail avowed that too many majors and lieutenant colonels flounder in their first joint assign…

verb

Short for major suit.

Usage examples:

South was anxious to mention his four-card major and bid one spade

noun

Physical substance in general, as distinct from mind and spirit; (in physics) that which occupies space and possesses rest mass, especially as distinct from energy.

Usage examples:

The structure and properties of matter

verb

Be important or significant.

Usage examples:

It doesn't matter what the guests wear

noun

A situation or subject that is being dealt with or considered

Usage examples:

Her arrival complicates matters even further., i think this is a matter best left to the mayor to d…

adjective

Having meaning.

Usage examples:

Meaningful elements in a language

adjective

Important or valuable

Usage examples:

She found it difficult to form meaningful relationships.

noun

An agency or means of doing something.

Usage examples:

Using the latest technology as a medium for job creation

adjective

About halfway between two extremes of size or another quality; average.

Usage examples:

John is six feet tall, of medium build

adjective

Being in the middle between an upper and lower amount, size, or degree; average

Usage examples:

He was a man of medium height., the shirt is available in small, medium, and large sizes., would yo…

adjective

Of great importance or significance, especially in having a bearing on future events.

Usage examples:

A period of momentous changes in east–west relations

adjective

Very important, esp. because of the effects on future events

Usage examples:

A momentous decision/event

adjective

Lacking interest or excitement; dull.

Usage examples:

His mundane, humdrum existence

adjective

Ordinary and not interesting in any way

Usage examples:

The show was just another mundane family sitcom.

noun

A brief record of points or ideas written down as an aid to memory.

Usage examples:

I'll make a note in my diary

verb

Notice or pay particular attention to (something).

Usage examples:

He noted his mother's unusual gaiety

phrase

Information written on paper

Usage examples:

The wind blew my notes all over the room., the reporter took notes throughout the interview., i mad…

noun

Material manufactured in thin sheets from the pulp of wood or other fibrous substances, used for writing, drawing, or printing on, or as wrapping material.

Usage examples:

A sheet of paper

verb

Apply wallpaper to (a wall or room).

Usage examples:

The walls were papered in a regency stripe

plural noun

Official documents

Usage examples:

The guard asked to see my papers.

noun

A detail.

Usage examples:

He is wrong in every particular

adjective

Used to single out an individual member of a specified group or class.

Usage examples:

The action seems to discriminate against a particular group of companies

adjective

Especially great or intense.

Usage examples:

When handling or checking cash the cashier should exercise particular care

adjective

Relating to the body as opposed to the mind.

Usage examples:

A range of physical and mental challenges

noun

A medical examination to determine a person's bodily fitness.

Usage examples:

At fifty-something, each year's physical was a kind of lottery

adjective

Connected with the body

Usage examples:

Physical strength/disabilities, she tries to keep herself in good physical condition., the physical…

adjective

Actually existing as a thing or occurring in fact; not imagined or supposed.

Usage examples:

Julius caesar was a real person

adverb

Really; very.

Usage examples:

My head hurts real bad

noun

The basic monetary unit of brazil since 1994, equal to 100 centavos.

Usage examples:

Plus, currencies in these markets have strengthened, meaning returns in hungarian forints or brazil…

adjective

Not connected with religious or spiritual matters.

Usage examples:

Secular buildings

noun

A secular priest.

Usage examples:

Most priests were seculars, living in the world and working amongst ordinary people.

adjective

Not having any connection with religion

Usage examples:

Secular society/music/education

adjective

Sufficiently great or important to be worthy of attention; noteworthy.

Usage examples:

A significant increase in sales

adjective

Important, large, or great, esp. in leading to a different result or to an important change

Usage examples:

This election reaffirms a significant shift of the center of power., marriage is a significant comm…

adjective

Firm and stable in shape; not liquid or fluid.

Usage examples:

The stream was frozen solid

noun

A substance or object that is solid rather than liquid or fluid.

Usage examples:

I was reminded of high school physics where we learned that solids conduct sound better than both l…

adjective

Having a fixed shape that cannot be changed easily

Usage examples:

After flying all night, he was glad to be on solid ground., solid rock, a solid oak table, solid go…

noun

A fact or piece of data obtained from a study of a large quantity of numerical data.

Usage examples:

The statistics show that the crime rate has increased

plural noun

The practice or science of collecting and analysing numerical data in large quantities, especially for the purpose of inferring proportions in a whole from those in a representative sample.

Usage examples:

Standard error is a mathematical tool used in statistics to measure variability

plural noun

A collection of numerical facts or measurements, as about people, business conditions, or weather

Usage examples:

The statistics show that, in general, women live longer than men., there is little statistical evid…

noun

Matter, material, articles, or activities of a specified or indeterminate kind that are being referred to, indicated, or implied.

Usage examples:

I prefer to buy stuff in sales

verb

Fill (a receptacle or space) tightly with something.

Usage examples:

An old teapot stuffed full of cash

verb

The tangible substance that goes into a physical object

adjective

Belonging to this world as contrasted with a better or more spiritual one.

Usage examples:

The concept was irrational to sublunary minds

adjective

Relating to the world or life on earth, especially in contrast to the spiritual world

Usage examples:

It came to an end at last, however, like all sublunary things., sublunary world one feels as close …

noun

A particular kind of matter with uniform properties.

Usage examples:

A steel tube coated with a waxy substance

noun

A material with particular physical characteristics

Usage examples:

The pesticide contains a substance that is toxic to insects., surprisingly, these filmmakers opted …

adjective

Of considerable importance, size, or worth.

Usage examples:

A substantial amount of cash

adjective

Large in size, value, or importance

Usage examples:

He took a substantial amount of money., they do a substantial portion of their business by phone.

adjective

Large in size, value, or importance

Usage examples:

Substantial benefits/costs/investment, a substantial amount/number/portion of sth banks make a subs…

adjective

Perceptible by touch.

Usage examples:

The atmosphere of neglect and abandonment was almost tangible

noun

A thing that is perceptible by touch.

Usage examples:

These are the only tangibles upon which an assessment can be made

adjective

Relating to worldly as opposed to spiritual affairs; secular.

Usage examples:

The church did not imitate the secular rulers who thought only of temporal gain

adjective

Of or situated in the temples of the head.

Usage examples:

Arterial biopsy usually confirms the diagnosis of temporal arteritis

adjective

Relating to practical matters or physical things, rather than spiritual ones

Usage examples:

The tyranny of the monarchy lies in its spiritual rather than its temporal power: it tyrannizes the…

noun

A type of cloth or woven fabric.

Usage examples:

A fascinating range of pottery, jewellery, and textiles

adjective

Relating to fabric or weaving.

Usage examples:

The textile industry

adjective

Used by nudists in reference to non-nudists.

Usage examples:

Textile beaches

adjective

Absolutely necessary; essential.

Usage examples:

Secrecy is of vital importance

noun

The body's important internal organs.

Usage examples:

He felt the familiar knot contract in his vitals

adjective

Necessary or extremely important for the success or continued existence of something

Usage examples:

The existence of a strong opposition is vital to a healthy democracy., the kidneys play a vital rol…

adjective

Weighing a great deal; heavy.

Usage examples:

A weighty tome

adjective

Important and serious

Usage examples:

They discussed weighty topics like arms control, the middle east, and the federal budget deficit.

adjective

(of a person) experienced and sophisticated.

Usage examples:

She was much more worldly than nora and dismissed the slur

adjective

Having to do with physical things and ordinary life

Usage examples:

Worldly success, she lost all her worldly possessions in the fire., he’s older and more worldly tha…