26984 words

mature

22 definitions • 32 examples
1
Mature people behave like adults in a way that shows they are well developed emotionally:

Examples:

He's very mature for his age.
2
A mature decision is one that is made after a lot of careful thought:

Examples:

Upon mature reflection, we find the accused guilty.
3

Examples:

mature adult After ten years, the young boy had grown into a mature adult.
sexually mature Female rats are sexually mature (= able to reproduce and have babies) at three months.
Mature male gorillas have silver-grey hairs on their backs.
mature oak trees
4
having a flavour that is completely developed:

Examples:

Do you prefer mild or mature cheddar?
5
A mature investment is ready to be paid.
6

Examples:

Girls are said to mature faster than boys.
He matured a lot while he was in college.
7
If ideas, opinions, etc. mature, they reach an advanced or developed state:

Examples:

It took several years for her ideas to mature.
8

Examples:

Humans take longer to mature than most other animals.
9
to allow food and wine to become old enough for the flavour to develop completely:

Examples:

The wine has been matured in oak vats.
The cheese is left to mature for two years.
10
If an insurance agreement or an investment matures, it becomes ready to be paid:

Examples:

The policy matures after 15 years.
11

Examples:

Humans take longer to mature than most other animals.
12
to become more developed mentally and emotionally and behave in a responsible way, or to cause someone to do this:

Examples:

[ I ] When you are the oldest child of a large family, you mature pretty quickly, because you have to take care of your younger brothers and sisters.
13
(of some types of investment) to become ready to be paid:

Examples:

When her bonds matured, she moved the money into stocks.
14
mentally and emotionally well-developed, and therefore responsible:

Examples:

He just wasn’t mature enough to keep a dog.
15

Examples:

The forest has a lot of mature oak trees.
16
Mature can also be a polite way of saying older:

Examples:

The jeans were marketed to mature women.
17
a mature market, industry, or product has stopped growing or developing as fast as it did when it was new:

Examples:

a mature market/industry If a firm is in a mature market, it will be hard to generate growing returns to shareholders.
The piston engine is a mature technology that's increasingly difficult to improve.
18
completely or almost completely developed, usually because of having existed for a long time:

Examples:

This level of disputed votes is unprecedented among mature democracies.
19
adult or older, or behaving in a reasonable way like an adult or older person:

Examples:

Colleagues who are tired of playing office politics will welcome your more mature approach.
20
to become ready to be paid:

Examples:

a bond/policy/investment matures When the bonds matured in September, they produced a profit of $39 million.
What happens if the firm goes bust before my policy has matured?
The endowment is due to mature in five years.
21
if a market, industry, etc. matures, it stops growing or developing as fast as it did when it was new:

Examples:

a market/industry matures The market matured and only a few brands survived.
22

Examples:

They started to worry about environmental damage only after their own economies matured.
You should plan for your business to mature within three to five years.

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