substance (n.)

  1. the real physical matter of which a person or thing consists; DNA is the substance of our genes'

  2. the choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience; the gist of the prosecutors argument; the heart and soul of the Republican Party; the nub of the story

    [ Syn: kernel , core , center , centre , essence , gist , heart , heart and soul , inwardness , marrow , meat , nub , pith , sum , nitty-gritty ]

  3. the idea that is intended; What is the meaning of this proverb?

    [ Syn: meaning ]

  4. material of a particular kind or constitution; the immune response recognizes invading substances'

  5. considerable capital (wealth or income); he is a man of means

    [ Syn: means ]

  6. what a communication that is about something is about

    [ Syn: message , content , subject matter ]

  7. a particular kind or species of matter with uniform properties; shigella is one of the most toxic substances known to man'

The dictionary is based on the WordNet Electronic Lexical Database.
WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2011 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.