in a matter of

IPA/ɪn ɐ mˈatəɹ ɒv/
IPA/ɪn ɐ mˈæɾɚɹ ʌv/

in a matter of — idiom

1. An expression saying that something finishes or happens after only a brief amoun

1.慣用語B1
釋義

An expression saying that something finishes or happens after only a brief amount of time — a few days, several hours, or a handful of minutes — often much sooner than one might expect.

例句

The ambulance arrived at the accident site in a matter of minutes.

collocation: in a matter of minutes

Vivek finished the entire novel in a matter of days during his holiday.

同義詞
  • within

    more neutral and less emphatic; 'in a matter of' stresses surprise at how quickly something happens

  • in just

    similar meaning but slightly less formal; 'in just a few days' sounds more conversational

反義詞

文法句型

in a matter of + [time unit]

用法筆記

Always followed by a concrete unit of time (minutes, hours, days, weeks, months). The similar-sounding phrase 'in a matter of time' is a separate idiom meaning 'eventually' or 'sooner or later', not a short duration.

常見錯誤

I will finish the report in a matter of time.
I will finish the report in a matter of hours.
💡'in a matter of time' means 'eventually', not 'in a short period'; always specify a concrete time unit to express a short duration.