material ( materials plural )
1 n-var A material is a solid substance.
...electrons in a conducting material such as a metal., ...the design of new absorbent materials.
2 n-mass Material is cloth.
...the thick material of her skirt..., The materials are soft and comfortable to wear.
3 n-plural Materials are the things that you need for a particular activity.
usu supp N
The builders ran out of materials., ...sewing materials.
4 n-uncount Ideas or information that are used as a basis for a book, play, or film can be referred to as material.
In my version of the story, I added some new material.
5 adj Material things are related to possessions or money, rather than to more abstract things such as ideas or values.
usu ADJ n (Antonym: spiritual)
Every room must have been stuffed with material things., ...the material world.
materially adv ADV with v, ADV adj/-ed, ADV with cl
He has tried to help this child materially and spiritually...
6 n-uncount If you say that someone is a particular kind of material, you mean that they have the qualities or abilities to do a particular job or task.
She was not university material..., His message has changed little since he became presidential material.
7 adj Material evidence or information is directly relevant and important in a legal or academic argument.
FORMAL ADJ n
The nature and availability of material evidence was not to be discussed...
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"Collins Cobuild English Dictionary for Advanced Learners 4th edition published in 2003 © HarperCollins Publishers 1987, 1995, 2001, 2003 and Collins A-Z Thesaurus 1st edition first published in 1995 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995"