what's the matter
What is wrong? What's the problem?
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“You look sad — what's the matter?”
“The teacher noticed the student crying and asked gently, "What's the matter?"”
“Seeing her friend standing motionless in the doorway, pale and trembling, she rushed over and whispered, "What's the matter?"”
- 01
get what's coming to one
To experience the consequences of one's actions.
- 02
grey matter
Brains; a person's ability to think.
- 03
make matters worse
To worsen an already difficult situation or unfavourable set of circumstances, typically by acting rashly, foolishly, or incompetently.
- 04
matter at hand
The current issue, which requires immediate attention.
- 05
matter of course
A natural or logical outcome; perforce.
- 06
matter of life and death
An extremely urgent matter.
- 07
matter of time
An inevitable result; something that is bound to happen.
- 08
take matters into one's own hands
To deal with a problem alone instead of waiting on others (often persons who are responsible and have failed to deal with the issue).
Last updated August 10, 2026