mat
/mæt/ (bre, ipa) · [mˈæt] /mæt/ (ame, ipa) · [mˈæt] /ˈmat/ (ame, mw)
mat — noun
- matsingular
- matsplural
1. a piece of thick material placed on the floor for people, animals, or objects to
a piece of thick material placed on the floor for people, animals, or objects to stand, sit, or lie on
Please wipe your boots on the mat before entering the kitchen.
wipe your boots on the mat
A wet umbrella dripped onto the hall mat by the front door.
The puppy curled up on its mat beside the heater.
Sari shook the sandy beach mat outside the car.
文法句型
on the mat
wipe your feet on the mat
用法筆記
Often refers to something smaller and more movable than a rug or carpet. Common types include door mats, bath mats, and pet mats.
2. a protective layer placed under cups, plates, or hot objects so the surface belo
a protective layer placed under cups, plates, or hot objects so the surface below is not marked or damaged
Karim set his mug on a cork mat to save the table.
set a mug on a mat
We laid bright woven mats under the plates for lunch.
mats under the plates
The teapot left no mark because a heatproof mat was underneath.
Anjali chose a blue mat to protect the desk from candle wax.
文法句型
set [something] on a mat
put mats under [things]
用法筆記
This sense is for smaller protective pieces used on furniture or counters. Distinguish from sense 1, which is for something spread on the floor.
3. a thick soft pad used in exercise or sport for people to stretch, sit, or fall o
a thick soft pad used in exercise or sport for people to stretch, sit, or fall on safely
Yuna rolled out her yoga mat before the class began.
roll out a yoga mat
The wrestler landed safely on the mat after the throw.
land on the mat in wrestling
Owen cleaned the exercise mat with a damp cloth.
Maeve stretched on the thick mat before her gymnastics turn.
文法句型
roll out a mat
land on the mat
用法筆記
Common with yoga, wrestling, gymnastics, and exercise classes. The point is a padded surface for the body rather than protection for furniture.
4. a thick messy layer of hair, grass, leaves, or similar material that has stuck o
a thick messy layer of hair, grass, leaves, or similar material that has stuck or twisted together
The horse had a mat of wet hair under its neck.
a mat of wet hair
A thick mat of leaves covered the drain after the storm.
Maeve cut away the mat in the dog's fur carefully.
By August, a mat of weeds had spread across the pond edge.
文法句型
a mat of [something]
用法筆記
Often appears in the pattern 'a mat of ...'. Distinguish from verb sense 2, which describes the process of forming this kind of layer.
5. a stiff border placed around a picture inside a frame to separate the image from
a stiff border placed around a picture inside a frame to separate the image from the outer frame
The gallery chose a cream mat around the black-and-white print.
a mat around a framed print
Heloisa cut a wider mat to make the photo stand out.
cut a mat for a photo
The gold frame looked calmer with a dark green mat inside.
The framer replaced the torn mat before sealing the picture.
文法句型
a mat around a picture
cut a mat for [a picture]
用法筆記
Used mainly in framing, galleries, and printing. In everyday conversation, many learners meet this sense only when ordering or discussing framed pictures.
mat — verb
- matpresent simple I / you / we / they
- mats3rd person singular
- matting-ing form
- mattedpast simple
1. to become a thick tangled mass, or to make hair, wool, grass, or similar materia
to become a thick tangled mass, or to make hair, wool, grass, or similar material stick together into one
After the rain, Mila's curls matted together at the back.
matted together
Wet grass matted into dark clumps along the goal line.
mat into clumps
The baby's blanket matted the kitten's fur slightly.
During storage, the wool matted so badly that it felt like felt.
文法句型
[hair/grass] mats together
mat [something]
用法筆記
Often used about hair, fur, wool, grass, or leaves. The intransitive form is common when the speaker cares more about the result than the cause.
2. to cover a surface with mats, matting, straw, or another protective layer
to cover a surface with mats, matting, straw, or another protective layer
Workers matted the muddy path with straw before the concert.
mat a path with straw
They matted the kennel floor with dry straw for the puppies.
Farmhands matted the greenhouse path with old sacks in winter.
To cut the dust, the crew matted the ground with canvas sheets.
文法句型
mat [a surface] with [material]
用法筆記
This sense is mostly found in practical descriptions of covering earth or flooring with a protective layer. It is much less common than the noun senses.
3. to put a card border around a picture before it is framed
to put a card border around a picture before it is framed
The shop matted our wedding photo in soft grey card.
mat a photo in card
Before the exhibit opened, staff matted each drawing by hand.
mat each drawing by hand
Quan asked the framer to mat the poster with a narrow border.
The designer matted the certificate to match the walnut frame.
文法句型
mat [a picture] with [border]
用法筆記
Used in framing and gallery work. Distinguish from noun sense 6, which names the border itself rather than the action of adding it.
4. to make a surface lose its shine so that it looks dull or matte
to make a surface lose its shine so that it looks dull or matte
Sunlight had matted the silver paint on the old sign.
mat a painted surface
The spray matted the glass so the bathroom door gave more privacy.
mat glass for privacy
Years of dust had matted the once-bright plastic cover.
The artist matted the gold leaf to soften the glare.
文法句型
mat [a surface]
用法筆記
Mainly used in printing, design, coatings, and photography. Many learners are more likely to meet the adjective matte than this rarer verb.
mat — adjective
- matpositive
- mattercomparative
- mattestsuperlative
1. describes a surface or finish that does not reflect much light and therefore loo
describes a surface or finish that does not reflect much light and therefore looks soft rather than glossy
Christopher picked a mat black notebook for the design review.
mat black
The poster looked softer on mat paper than on glossy paper.
mat paper
Maeve prefers mat lipstick for long days under bright lights.
The camera menu lets you print the photo with a mat finish.
文法句型
mat + noun
a mat finish
用法筆記
This spelling appears especially in design, printing, and product descriptions. Many learners will also see the variant spelling matte for the same idea.