How to Use gray matter in a Sentence

gray matter

noun
  • In adults with mild hearing loss, studies show a decrease in gray matter.
    — Lydia Denworth, Scientific American, 15 Aug. 2023
  • The concepts are felt through grimy, bass-heavy productions that slice and dice through your gray matter.
    — Billboard Staff, Billboard, 14 Feb. 2020
  • The gray matter in our brains as early teenagers is actually the fullest of our lives.
    — Kara Alaimo, CNN Money, 28 Apr. 2026
  • The third wild card is a parasite that feeds off your gray matter and replaces it with asbestos.
    — Grant Brisbee, The Athletic, 24 July 2024
  • The brain's gray matter contains the majority of the brain cells telling the body what to do.
    — Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 16 Jan. 2020
  • With normal aging, people lose a tiny fraction of gray matter each year.
    — New York Times, 7 Mar. 2022
  • For one, gray matter volume increases on top of the brain and decreases along the base.
    — Matt Hrodey, Discover Magazine, 12 June 2023
  • All across the brain, these changes are visible in gray matter, the layer of tissue in the brain that is rich with neurons.
    — Darby Saxbe, The Conversation, 30 Nov. 2022
  • The researchers found that those who passed the exam had an increase in gray matter and enhanced memory.
    — Amanda Gardner, Martha Stewart, 5 July 2026
  • The researchers found that those who passed the exam had an increase in gray matter and enhanced memory.
    — Amanda Gardner, Martha Stewart, 8 Feb. 2026
  • Researchers have seen neuroplastic change during the life span in both the white and gray matter that form brain tissue.
    — Hilary A. Diefenbach, Discover Magazine, 20 Nov. 2023
  • And compared with the control group, change in the woman’s gray matter volume was nearly three times higher.
    — Kristen Rogers, CNN, 16 Sep. 2024
  • Ghostly occurrences can be the result of larger problems in our gray matter.
    — Jake Bittle, Popular Science, 6 Oct. 2020
  • Changes in gray matter with pregnancy were, again, most prominent in the default mode network.
    — Ingrid Wickelgren, Scientific American, 23 Nov. 2022
  • And scans of white and gray matter in the brain will show if there is permanent changes induced by this style of interacting with a child.
    — Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 3 Feb. 2020
  • To do so, your gray matter relies on the power of association.
    — Popular Science, 18 Sep. 2020
  • The condition affects the area in the spinal cord called the gray matter and weakens muscles and reflexes.
    — Erik Lacitis, The Seattle Times, 19 Oct. 2018
  • All of these regions are made of gray matter, a type of tissue that contains neuron cell bodies and covers the surface of the brain.
    — Grace Huckins, Wired, 17 Aug. 2020
  • Of course, gray matter isn’t completely impervious to the ravages of time.
    — Erin Blakemore, Popular Science, 9 Mar. 2021
  • More specifically, the primates have more gray matter in their prefrontal cortex.
    — Marta Zaraska, Quanta Magazine, 28 Feb. 2023
  • But the Sagittarian brain remains plastic far longer than the gray matter of other signs.
    — Fran Tirado, Them, 18 Dec. 2024
  • Oxygen flow to the gray matter of hibernators can drop to as little as 2 percent of normal.
    — Gregory Mone, Discover Magazine, 19 June 2013
  • It was found that among those who drank alcohol, adults — and to a lesser extent, teens — had a reduction in gray matter volume.
    — Josh Magness, sacbee, 14 Feb. 2018
  • Now new research offers clues to a link between menopause and changes in the brain’s gray matter, as well as anxiety and depression.
    — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 27 Jan. 2026
  • Returning to Earth helped the gray matter mostly bounce back but seemed to cause shrinkage in white matter, which connects parts of the brain.
    — National Geographic, 12 June 2019
  • In other words there’s a measurable reduction in brain volume or gray matter in certain areas.
    — Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 13 Aug. 2025
  • The authors of the study found that drinking a moderate amount of alcohol often can cause the volumes of white and gray matter to shrink in the brain.
    — Joshua Hawkins, BGR, 8 Mar. 2022
  • This year, a study found that regular caffeine intake impacts the gray matter in a brain region that handles memory.
    — Chris Smith, BGR, 23 May 2021
  • As people age, their brains naturally lose a tiny amount of gray matter each year, which provides nutrients and energy to the brain.
    — Corryn Wetzel, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Mar. 2022
  • Underneath lies the white matter, which stretches in bundles of fiber between regions of gray matter and carries messages all over the brain.
    — Grace Huckins, Wired, 17 Aug. 2020

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gray matter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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