- substance
- noun1 materialADJECTIVE▪ addictive, cancer-causing (esp. AmE), carcinogenic, dangerous, harmful, hazardous, noxious, poisonous, radioactive, toxic▪ harmless, innocuous▪
Even innocuous substances can sometimes register a positive result in a drug test.
▪ banned, controlled, illegal, illicit, prohibited▪ hallucinogenic, mind-altering, psychedelic, psychoactive, psychotropic▪ performance-enhancing▪ natural▪a natural substance found in the body of animals
▪ synthetic▪ chemical▪ inorganic, organic▪ pure▪ soluble, volatile▪ active, inactive, inert▪ crystalline, fatty, gooey (informal), oily, powdery, slimy, sticky, viscous, waxy▪ medicinal▪ foreign, unknown▪foreign substances that contaminated the experiments
▪a bag full of some unknown substance
▪ material▪the material substance of which we are made
VERB + SUBSTANCE▪ use▪ abuse▪ contain▪ produce▪Some frogs produce toxic substances in their skin.
▪ take▪The athletes had taken banned substances.
SUBSTANCE + NOUN▪ use▪ abuse2 important contentADJECTIVE▪ real▪The real substance of the report was in the third part.
▪ added▪His disappearance has given added substance to the argument that he stole the money.
VERB + SUBSTANCE▪ have▪The image of him that the media have presented has no substance.
▪ add, give sth, lend sth▪The letters lent substance to the claims.
▪ lackPREPOSITION▪ in substance▪There's no difference in substance between the two points of view.
▪ of substance▪Nothing of substance was achieved at the meeting.
▪ with substance▪lyrics with substance
▪ without substance▪Their allegations were without substance.
▪ substance in▪There's no substance in the story.
▪ substance of▪the substance of the evidence against him
▪ substance to▪There was little substance to his claims.
Collocations dictionary. 2013.
