Matter, material, stuff, substance refer to that of which physical objects are composed (though all these terms are also used abstractly). Matter, as distinct from mind and spirit, is a broad word that applies to anything perceived, or known to be occupying space: solid matter; gaseous matter.

matter, material substance that constitutes the observable universe and, together with energy, forms the basis of all objective phenomena. At the most fundamental level, matter is composed of elementary particles known as quarks and leptons (the class of elementary particles that includes electrons).

What is matter? In science, matter is defined as any substance that has mass and takes up space. Basically, it’s anything that can be touched. Yet, there are also phenomena that are not matter, such as light, sounds, and other forms of energy. A space devoid of all matter is called a vacuum.

: material substance that occupies space, has mass, and is composed predominantly of atoms consisting of protons, neutrons, and electrons, that constitutes the observable universe, and that is interconvertible with energy