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Glite Dictionary
to matter to

to matter to

236 2.4
To be important to someone or something
  • phrasal verb
  • /ˈmætər tu/
translation icon : importar (a alguien)
  • For her, the opinions of her friends matter to her more than anyone else's.
  • things that matter to
  • issues that matter to
  • really matter to

If what you're writing doesn't matter to you, it's going to be flat.

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Examples

  • Do likes and followers matter to you sometimes?

    Vanity Fair

  • We invite people who matter to events that matter to us.

  • It's their choice whether this stuff matters to them or not.

  • Does it really matter to us, does it?

  • And that is why this should matter to everybody.

  • And if these things matter to you, then talk to people.

    Triggernometry

  • If it matters to you so much, I can just give it to you.

    Challengers (2024)

  • It matters because it matters to people and people matter.

    The Royal Institution

  • As long as we're together, it doesn't matter to me.

    Madagascar (2005)

  • Maybe those conversations don't matter to him, but they really matter to me.

    Tim Ferriss

Synonyms

to mean
vsto matter to
∞ 1.9

Be important to someone

is broader, applying to people and things rather than only a person
to matter
vsto matter to
∞ 1.4

To be important or make a difference

is about having importance for someone or something
to count
vsto matter to
406 3.2

To be important or make a difference

is about being important for someone or something rather than value or effect

How Important

to matter to
236 2.4
to count
406 3.2

Surface Forms

matter to infinitive
mattered to past
mattered to past participle
mattering to present participle
matters to third person singular

Morphology

matter + to

The verb 'matter' already means 'to be important' and the preposition 'to' marks the affected person/thing, so the meaning 'be important for someone' is directly composed from the constituents. This verb + preposition pattern is common and cross-linguistically comparable, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

The verb matter to can be remembered with a simple picture: imagine a balance scale where small things do not move it but heavy things tip it. The things that tip the scale are what matter to you, so they are 'important' to you.