material
noun
uk/məˈtɪəriəl/ us [ C or U ]
a physical substance that things can be made from:
The cost of labour and materials has risen up to 40% in a short period.
building/construction materials The buildings also use recycled building materials and consume less water.
traditional/natural/recycled materials There is increasing demand for products made from recycled materials.
hazardous/toxic/radioactive material
[ U or plural ]
printed documents, books, computer programs, etc. that give information, especially ones intended for a particular purpose:
publicity/marketing/promotional material According to their publicity material, the new rates are the lowest in the UK.
teaching/training materials The video and other training materials were created in-house.
printed/published material Some people prefer to receive information face-to-face, rather than through published material.
[ U ]
information used when writing something:
She gave me a lot of useful material for my presentation.
The journalist had been collecting material for an article on the President.
See also
bill of materials
collateral material
direct materials
raw material
material
adjective [ before noun ]
uk/məˈtɪəriəl/ usrelating to physical objects or money:
Increased material wealth is delivered by today's economic system.
He cares more about job satisfaction than material things.