solutionso‧lu‧tion /səˈluːʃən/ ●●● S2 W1 noun 
The best solution would be for them to separate.solution to/for There are no simple solutions to the problem of overpopulation.2[countable] the correct answer to a problem in an exercise or competition SYN answersolution to The solution to last week’s puzzle is on page 12.3[countable, uncountable] a liquid in which a solid or gas has been mixed: a weak sugar solution saline solutionCOLLOCATIONSadjectivesa good solution· A good solution is to harvest the crop early in September.the best/perfect/ideal solution· Locking people in prison is not necessarily the ideal solution.an effective solution· The government has failed to come up with an effective solution.a satisfactory solution (=good enough)· We will not rest until a satisfactory solution is found.a neat solution (=simple and clever)· This sounded like a neat solution to the skills shortage.the only solution· The only solution is to greatly reduce our use of water.the real solution (=the only good solution)· The real solution to the waste problem is to produce much less waste.a possible solution· There are three possible solutions to this problem.an alternative solution· We need to look for alternative solutions.a simple/easy solution· There is no easy solution to this problem.a quick/speedy solution· We need to find a quick solution.a practical/workable solution (=one that is really possible)· They've had to find practical solutions to practical problems.a long-term solution (=one that will be effective for a long time)· A long-term solution to the problem will not be possible until that conflict is resolved.a quick-fix solution (=one that solves a problem for a short time only)· He has accused the government of looking for quick-fix solutions.a peaceful/political solution (=one that does not involve fighting)· We will continue to work strenuously for a political solution acceptable to all parties.verbsfind/come up with a solution· We are working together to find the best solution we can.seek/look for a solution· The company is still seeking a solution to its financial problems.provide/offer a solution· I don't think that tourism will provide a long-term solution to rural employment problems.suggest/put forward a solution· The chairman put forward a possible solution.
WORD ORIGINsolution
Origin:
1300-1400 Old French, Latin solutio, from solvere; ➔ SOLVEEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- A dentist could put in a temporary filling, but that's not the perfect solution.
- It was a difficult equation, but it took her only five minutes to work out the solution.
- Make a salt solution by dissolving 9 tablespoonfuls of cooking salt in a pint of water.
- Making the parts smaller is the cheapest solution, but is it the best one?
- One possible solution might be to borrow the money.
- Sleeping tablets are not the best solution to insomnia as they upset the natural rhythm of sleep.
- The solution to this week's puzzle will be published in next week's magazine.
- We are now going to measure the boiling points of the different solutions.
- We can help you find a solution to all your financial problems.
- But the movie tells the wrong story, getting detoured into a murder investigation whose solution is far too obvious.
- One solution to this problem is for two or more classes to collaborate on a project.
- The solution is then completed in the usual way.
- The solution to both problems was already on the table three years ago.
- The colour change can be obscured by dirt in the solution.
THESAURUSa mxture of chemical substances
a chemical substance that contains atoms of two or more elements: · common chemical compounds such as sodium chloride
a liquid mixed with a solid or a gas: · a weak sugar solution
Longman Language Activatorthe answer to a question in a test, competition etc an answer to a question in a test or competition: · Write your answers on the form and send it to this address.the answer (=the correct answer): · And the answer is ... Budapest!answer to: · What's the answer to question 4?give your answer: · Think carefully before you give the answer.the right/wrong answer: · The first person to call with the right answer will win 10 CDs of their choice.
an answer that you have found after calculating or doing tests: · I've tried three different ways of adding these figures and each time I get a different result.· We have completed our experiments and we are now analyzing the results.· The results of our accountant's calculations show that we are on the verge of bankruptcy.
the correct answer to a complicated problem in a test or competition: · It was a difficult equation, but it took her only five minutes to work out the solution.solution to: · The solution to this week's puzzle will be published in next week's magazine.
substances that have been mixed together several different liquids or substances that have been mixed together: · Place all the ingredients in a bowl and beat them until the mixture is smooth.· The car runs on a special ether-alcohol mixture that won't work in an ordinary engine.mixture of: · A special mixture of peat and soil is used for growing bonsai trees.
a mixture of different substances, colours etc that are used together: · Banana, orange juice, and cream may seem an odd combination, but together they make a delicious drink.combination of: · The sweater is made of a combination of natural and synthetic fibres.
a mixture of two or more chemical substances that combine to produce a single substance with qualities that are different from the original substances - use this in scientific or technical contexts: · The soil was tested to make sure that it was free from ammonia or any other nitrogen compound.chemical compound: · Sulphur dioxide and carbon dioxide are two common chemical compounds.
a liquid that has something mixed in with it - use this in scientific contexts: · Make a salt solution by dissolving 9 tablespoonfuls of cooking salt in a pint of water.· We are now going to measure the boiling points of the different solutions.
a solution to a problem · One possible solution might be to borrow the money.· A dentist could put in a temporary filling, but that's not the perfect solution.solution to/for · Sleeping tablets are not the best solution to insomnia as they upset the natural rhythm of sleep.find/come up with a solution · We can help you find a solution to all your financial problems.
a way of dealing with a problem or unsatisfactory situation, especially one that has been worrying you for a long time: · The city council has to find a better way of dealing with domestic waste. One answer is to burn it.answer to: · A bank loan seemed like the answer to all our problems.there are no easy answers: · There are no easy answers to today's environmental problems.
a way of dealing with a problem, especially a practical problem, so that it does not happen again: · The experts believe they know the causes of the crime wave but they cannot agree on a cure.cure for: · Adding a little oil into the mechanism is one of the best cures for a noisy engine.miracle/wonder cure (=a very effective cure): · It's not a miracle cure, but moisturiser can make your skin less dry.
a way of dealing with a problem or unsatisfactory situation by improving it or getting rid of it completely: · If you find it hard to live on your present salary, the best remedy would be to change jobs.remedy for: · One remedy for racial attacks would be to educate our children more about social issues.
formal something that people hope will solve all their problems: · Electoral reform is not a panacea. It causes almost as many problems as it solves.panacea for: · Librarians welcomed computerization as the panacea for all their cataloguing problems.
a way of dealing with an unpleasant situation so that it no longer exists: · We are faced with a very difficult situation, but there must be a way out.way out of: · I don't see any way out of the present deadlock.
to successfully deal with a problem · They thought money would solve all their problems.· The roof used to leak but last week I fitted some new tiles and that seems to have solved the problem.· The government is to launch a new building programme in an attempt to solve the housing crisis.
to think of a way to solve a problem, especially a complicated political or social problem: · Crime is rapidly increasing in our inner cities. We must find a solution.· Civil war seems increasingly likely unless the government comes up with a solution.find/come up with a solution to: · European governments are working together to find a solution to the problem of nuclear waste.
formal to successfully deal with a problem or unpleasant situation so that it no longer exists: · Talking is the only way to resolve your differences.· It is difficult to see how this conflict can be resolved without taking the matter to court.
to deal with an unsatisfactory situation, especially by making sure that any damage that has been caused is paid for, removed, stopped etc: put something right: · There seems to be something wrong with the computer but we hope to put it right before too long.· If there is bullying in the classroom, it is the teacher who should put the problem right.put right something: · This government intends to put right everything that the last government did wrong.
to permanently solve a practical problem so that it does not happen again: · If your computer stops working, re-booting might cure the problem.· Beveridge believed that unemployment could be cured by state intervention.
to deal with an unsatisfactory situation, especially an unfair one, so that the situation no longer exists or is greatly improved: · There have been several tragic rail accidents. The government must act quickly to remedy this situation.· Equal rights for women were necessary to remedy the injustices done to them over the centuries.
to remove any problems or difficulties from a situation, especially before doing something else: sort something out: · I'm afraid I can't help you until I've sorted my own problems out.sort things out: · There's been a serious misunderstanding; I'll try to sort things out and then I'll phone you back.sort out something: · You can't possibly start decorating yet. We haven't sorted out the roof yet.get something sorted out: · I want to get everything sorted out before I leave.
British informal to successfully deal with a problem: · Don't worry about the money. I'll sort it, OK?· You should be able to sort this without my help.
to remove any small problems or difficulties before you start something, especially by discussing them, so that they do not cause problems later: iron something out: · We need to iron a few things out before we move in together.iron out something: · We decided it was best to iron out our differences at an early stage in the production.
WORD SETSacetate, nounacid, nounacidic, adjectiveacidify, verbactive, adjectiveadditive, nounagent, nounalchemy, nounalcohol, nounalkali, nounalkaline, adjectiveamalgam, nounantioxidant, noun-ate, suffixatomic number, nounbase, nounbauxite, nounbeaker, nounbenzene, nounbiochemistry, nounbitumen, nounbleach, nounbond, nounbonding, nouncalcify, verbcarbohydrate, nouncarbonate, nouncarbon dioxide, nouncarbonize, verbcatalyst, nouncaustic, adjectivechain reaction, nounchemical, nounchemical, adjectivechemical reaction, nounchemist, nounchemistry, nounchlorinate, verbcitric acid, nouncombustion, nounconcentration, nouncondense, verbcontaminant, nouncontaminate, verbcontaminated, adjectivecorrode, verbcorrosion, nouncorrosive, adjectivecrucible, nouncrystal, nouncrystallize, verbcyanide, nounDDT, noundecay, verbdecay, noundecompose, verbdegrade, verbderive, verbdetoxification, noundextrose, noundioxin, noundispersion, noundissolve, verbdistill, verbeffervesce, verbeffervescent, adjectiveelectrolysis, nounelectrolyte, nounelectroplate, verbemulsify, verbemulsion, nounenzyme, nounexpand, verbfatty acid, nounferment, verbferment, nounflashback, nounflask, nounformaldehyde, nounformula, nounfructose, nounfungicide, nounfuse, verbgas, noungaseous, adjectiveglucose, noungranular, adjectivegraphite, nounhallucinogen, nounhelium, nounherbicide, nounhydrate, nouninert, adjectiveinsoluble, adjectiveinsulin, nounion, nounionize, verblactic acid, nounlimescale, nounlitmus, nounlitmus paper, nounlitmus test, nounmethane, nounmixture, nounmolecule, nounneon, nounnerve gas, nounneutralize, verbneutron, nounnitric acid, nounnucleic acid, nounnucleus, nounnutrient, nounorganic chemistry, nounosmosis, nounoxidize, verboxyacetylene, nounoxygenate, verbozone, nounpart, nounpectin, nounpesticide, nounpestle, nounpetrochemical, nounpH, nounphotosynthesis, nounplasma, nounpolyunsaturated, adjectivepotash, nounprecipitate, verbprecipitate, nounprecipitation, nounproduct, nounprussic acid, nounquicklime, nounradioactive, adjectiveradioactivity, nounradiology, nounreact, verbreaction, nounreactive, adjectivereagent, nounresidue, nounretort, nounriboflavin, nounsalt, nounsaltpetre, nounsaturate, verbsaturated, adjectivesaturation, nounsaturation point, nounsemiconductor, nounsoft, adjectivesolid, nounsolution, nounsolvent, nounstability, nounstabilizer, nounstable, adjectivestarch, nounsteam, nounsucrose, nounsulphate, nounsulphide, nounsulphur, nounsulphur dioxide, nounsulphuric acid, nounsulphurous, adjectivesurface tension, nounsuspension, nounsynthesize, verbsynthetic, adjectivetannin, nountartaric acid, nounTNT, noununstable, adjectivevalence, nounvitamin, nounvolatile, adjectivevulcanize, verbwater softener, nounwater-soluble, adjectivewater vapour, nounwetting agent, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRYadjectives a creative solution to the problem
· A good solution is to harvest the crop early in September.
· Locking people in prison is not necessarily the ideal solution.
· The government has failed to come up with an effective solution.
(=good enough)· We will not rest until a satisfactory solution is found.
(=simple and clever)· This sounded like a neat solution to the skills shortage.
· The only solution is to greatly reduce our use of water.
(=the only good solution)· The real solution to the waste problem is to produce much less waste.
· There are three possible solutions to this problem.
· We need to look for alternative solutions.
· There is no easy solution to this problem.
· We need to find a quick solution.
(=one that is really possible)· They've had to find practical solutions to practical problems.
(=one that will be effective for a long time)· A long-term solution to the problem will not be possible until that conflict is resolved.
(=one that solves a problem for a short time only)· He has accused the government of looking for quick-fix solutions.
(=one that does not involve fighting)· We will continue to work strenuously for a political solution acceptable to all parties.
verbs· We are working together to find the best solution we can.
· The company is still seeking a solution to its financial problems.
· I don't think that tourism will provide a long-term solution to rural employment problems.
· The chairman put forward a possible solution.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES· The president was under increasing pressure to reach a compromise solution with his political opponents.
a creative solution to the problem· Representatives met to discuss the crisis and devise solutions.
(=a way to solve it)· One possible solution to the dilemma may be to divide the money equally between the brothers.
· The most effective solution to traffic congestion is to build more roads.
· The authorities want a peaceful solution to the hostage crisis.
· They are eager for a political solution after years of war.
· Compromise is the only realistic solution.
· Perhaps the only viable solution is to merge the hospitals.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE· Yet the world we live in cries out for more critical and creative solutions to many, pressing problems.· One creative solution: workers were issued coveralls without pockets.· Look for the more creative solution - the tried and true don't always bring the best results.· Subsequently the highly rated manager develops creative solutions and provides new insights into problems.· Or an end to racial oppression? Creative solutions to our ecological problems?· What matters is that the creative solution has a credible and realistic basis.
· There is no easy solution to the education versus training argument in nursing.· Fortunately, there is an easy solution to the problem.· Instinctively, it seemed that there must be an easy solution to a prob-lem made of mud.· It is easy enough to point out what is wrong with Hong Kong environmentally but far from easy to find solutions.· It offers no easy or cheap solution.· There was no easy solution to these problems but a number of alternatives could be considered.
· The final cacheing solution is hardware based, and relies on cacheing controllers.· But unchecked, she seeks total victory and final solutions.· Clearly, the difference between the original proposals put forward in the White Paper and the final solution in 1977 is enormous.· My final solution to the problem was a bit risky, but not as risky as the alternatives - or so I thought!· Logic and precision are put aside and the final solution is more important than the steps which lead to it.· This is the nature of sciences and pseudo-sciences, always striving for a set of rules and final solutions.· The final solution to the problem of the restraint of beasts.
· We in Lothian have had problems with barrier design, and the best solution I know of is the design enclosed.· But for many people, the best solution may be a combination of tax software and professional help.· The best solution would seem to be the creation of start-up workshops for small businesses.· The best solution: Shift the focus on to a different actor.· The best solution may be to leave them with the society.· There is only one good solution to capital flight: shaky governments must restore confidence by adopting sensible policies.· A better solution may well be to pick up the idea of rotating the audit partner every five to 10 years.· The best solution is to siphon off the discolored water and store it in the dark for a couple of weeks.
· Delegates were generally agreed that the ideal solution was to remove migrants' reasons for wanting to leave.· The Generalísimo, however, was not convinced that this was the ideal solution.· In those days married women didn't work, so for her it was the ideal solution.· No ideal solution to this problem has been found.· While the ideal solution is a fast 486 computer there are a lot of 386 machines still performing sterling service.· This split barrier is an ideal solution for keeping out undesirables such as motorbikes while giving room for wheelchairs to pass through easily.· The ideal solution would be to use such people as software testers but the world isn't that well organised!· Though Hunt was grateful, this was hardly an ideal solution.
· Even as this problem forms itself in my head it is superseded by its very simple and obvious solution.· Even though the problem is obvious, the solutions are not.· A single system for all seemed an obvious solution to such problems.· The obvious solution to this word-wilting dilemma is to relax.· Retirement at 63 is the obvious compromise solution.· There is one obvious solution to slow play that seems to be overlooked: Distance tee-times to ease course overcrowding.· The obvious solution - to move into more capital-intensive highly skilled work - is being energetically pursued.· But don't opt for the obvious solution: cutting the stuff into stunted threads is practised only by the infantile.
· The only truly satisfactory solution would be to pull the place down and start again.· I know this sounds terrible but sometimes it's the only solution I can see.· But flooring need not cost the earth; nor is carpeting the only solution.· The current slipway is beyond economic repair and a new structure is the only solution.· A change of lender is the only solution.· The only solution lies north of the Border - with you.· The only solution I can see is in future to save any pattern of this sort as a variety of widths.· I was convinced, and did not afterwards look back, that the only solution would be a bold one.
· This seems to be the optimal solution for the male.· This gives Table 10.1, so the optimal solution is still but the optimal value is.· The optimal solution does not change but the optimal tableau has one less column.· The reader can verify that this optimal solution is.· When the equality is exactly satisfied, either inequality can be used but the optimal solution will not change.· In this chapter, we will study the effect of changes in the data on the optimal solution.· Thus March and Simon accept that bureaucrats will not necessarily seek the optimal solution, but that which satisfies.· Thus, we will eventually achieve an optimal feasible solution.
· But people like Shakiri do not believe there can be a peaceful solution to the crisis.· There are peaceful solutions to accommodating both smokers and nonsmokers.· A peaceful solution is far from assured, however.· That is not going to help to bring about a just and peaceful solution to the problem.· Without a regional focus, inclusive of all ethnic groups, there is little chance for a peaceful solution.
· It seemed to be the perfect solution - contraception without constraining the fountain of male pleasure.· Even if a perfect solution is not found, the child goes from being passive to planning a strategy and eventually acting.· Sensitive skins need the gentle touch - Moistura fragrance Free products from Cyclax provide the perfect solution.· There are no perfect solutions in a world where most parents work and most kids get sick.· Alternet is the perfect solution for 10BaseT users who want the flexibility that thin coax provides.· They did a lot of research, and found what they felt were perfect housing solutions.· A mix of black and gold separates is a perfect solution.· No doubt the perfect solution is to fly down in your own plane.
· Voice over It's got to be a political solution.· Chun had put his sword back into the scabbard and turned to a political solution.· But the political solutions which he advocated in the 1930s were not so.· Social pathologies abound, yet people are peacefully pursuing political solutions to the myriad problems.· It was not the first time that sensible political solutions had been rejected.· Any political solution presupposes that the fate of prisoners must be settled.· The prime minister, Chandra Shekhar, has said repeatedly that he wants a political solution.
· It is usually the responsibility of the engineer to approve the alternative offered by the contractor or to suggest a possible solution.· The foundation organized thousands of town meetings around the country to pulse people on public policy issues and possible solutions.· Recent advances in methodology offer several possible solutions to this problem.· If a system does not work for some speakers, there are several possible solutions.· And high levels of debt offered one possible solution to problems of how to discipline managers.· Free television time is one possible solution.· One possible solution is for the last step in the procedure to be the subject of a strict time limit.· The survey said one possible solution to the problem might be the use of city pension funds to create a loan program.
· Provided the room is big enough, room divider doors are a practical solution and can be an attractive feature.· Sometimes this shared understanding may lead to more practical solutions.· Odeneal was swayed by the eloquence and truth of Joseph's argument, and submitted a practical solution.· They do not offer practical solutions.· Mr Holt is keen to find a practical solution to better protect the environment.· These two sides would slug it out, and a practical solution would emerge somewhere between the two positions.· In itself this elusiveness is testimony to just how enormously difficult it is to find practical solutions to Britain's economic problems.· The search continues for a practical solution.
· Elaborate solution, depending on smoothness: This keeps the same set R as the simple solution.· There is no single, simple solution.· Problem solving: This is almost exactly as in the simple solution.· There is a simple solution that would correct these inequities and still protect homeowners from excessive taxation.· This is often a far simpler and cheaper solution.· I will really hate to be told of some simple, logical solution which I might have spotted.· Even as this problem forms itself in my head it is superseded by its very simple and obvious solution.· They never have a simple solution.
· Argument means resolving differences by discussion; this can encourage integration of a number of viewpoints into a better solution.· A better solution is for automakers to develop air bags that inflate more slowly, lessening the risk of injury.· Renting may not be better solution than home purchase.· This is an area where private decision-making is a much better solution.· A better solution may well be to pick up the idea of rotating the audit partner every five to 10 years.· A better solution is adding a second disk drive, or replacing your original.· A better solution perhaps is to leave the pad out of the filter altogether only using it when necessary.· Some scientists believe stem cell research may provide a better solution.
VERB· However, the parties involved were prepared to have their heads hit together to arrive at a solution.· In this way, she arrived at her solution.· In such a case, some form of conflict resolution must be adopted to arrive at a solution.· Now, she thought, now we shall get things done, sort things out, arrive at a solution.
· If they're really upset, acknowledge this and try to find a solution.· He had discussed this throughout his first year but had found no solution.· Given the correct support and information, they could themselves find solutions to many problems.· They established a committee to meet with DeGrazia to try to find solutions both sides could support.· Too fussy. Find another solution, wrote Harsnet.· Diplomatically, he placed the burden of responsibility on the state officials, calling upon them to find solutions.· The Occupational Therapist is there to try and help you find a solution to your problem.· His knowledge of mathematics proved inadequate to find a solution.
· The knowledge obtained from solutions that are put into the eye for other purposes is considerably valuable.· Whatever happens, either we obtain an efficient solution or we can deduce that there are no efficient solutions.· We have thus obtained our solution, in this case, in one step.· He agreed to go to Rome himself to try to obtain an acceptable solution.· The scheme yields only a theoretical solution, from which the number of patterns can be obtained.· Their curvatures can only be obtained rigorously from the solution of Einstein's equation.· However, they may be combined with some other method to obtain such solutions.· Consequently there have been fewer serious efforts towards obtaining effective solutions.
· The fax modem offers an affordable solution to many of the conventional fax machine's shortcomings.· More than half the builders offered other solutions to the fee problem.· But it hardly offers a long-term solution to the problem of resource depletion.· The speech addressed problems often discussed by President Clinton, but offered some starkly different solutions.· Those planning to enter public relations in the future will not be able to offer superficial solutions or thinking to any client.· A balanced budget amendment is often offered as a solution.· But London offered a solution not available elsewhere and particularly appealing to a young man of his temperament.· In a leaderless group, a manager might step in to end the conflict and even offer a solution.
· Some of our economists are proposing the same solutions.· There is a lot of agreement for many of the issues, though a lot of differences in proposed solutions.· Meanwhile, worried scientists have moved beyond offering proof of the ill effects of human activity to proposing solutions.· Despite a briefcase thick with proposed solutions, no plan has been implemented.· So far, feminists have mainly proposed numerical solutions to these imbalances, treating the categories as equivalent and autonomous.· Most proposed solutions to the funds' problems involve limiting the benefits of current recipients in some way.· Falsifiable hypotheses are proposed by scientists as solutions to the problem.· In both cases, senior management looked on the proposed solution as unworkable at best, and, at worst, subversive.
· The benefits established does the book provide the blueprint solution?· Odds are, neither this book nor any other source of information will provide a solution to your work problem.· This provides a weak solution but takes the patient through to the next potency level in only 7-8 days.· A: Strengthening the courts and providing a solution for former soldiers, both from the Sandinista Army and the counterinsurgency.· Open learning provides a flexible solution to many of those problems.· But rather than providing a solution, their results just added more fuel to the fire.· The Automobile Association has now provided one solution.· It is by no means easy to resolve such issues, and we can provide no firm solutions here.
· The first step is to recognise the diversity and complexity of public organisations which require different managerial solutions.· Increasingly, federal officials were defining the problems of urban areas as local problems requiring local solutions.· It is important, however, to recognise that this is a global problem which requires a global solution.· But the disabilities act, they said, sometimes requires unnecessarily expensive solutions.· Only Daeria was recognised as requiring the lobon-gur solution or intra-venous fluid therapy.· Problems that require solutions are fast-moving and complex, and growing more so every day.· Each junction requires its own solution or compromise and seldom, it was argued, is today's solution the best one.· Our tendency to create heroes rarely jibes with the reality that most nontrivial problems require collective solutions.
· Encourage the subordinate gently to seek solutions and propose action.· Let's seek solutions and not encourage conflict.· Companies should cooperate with couples in seeking solutions, Levinson advises.· Perhaps the time has come when we should humbly admit our limitations and seek solutions in co-operation with the Master Plan.· Afterward, the two sides may create a bipartisan panel to seek a longer term solution.· Thus March and Simon accept that bureaucrats will not necessarily seek the optimal solution, but that which satisfies.· If you start removing paper and the plaster finish comes off, you may want to seek another solution.
· It is usually the responsibility of the engineer to approve the alternative offered by the contractor or to suggest a possible solution.· Answerable only to the president, they will suggest solutions to the ministries concerned and ensure they get results.· The warring factions are suggesting drastically different solutions to the crisis.· It is suggested that the best solution is to combine both methods.· Betsy suggested that the best solution to the problem would be for her to take over command of Clytus and continue trading.· Moreover we are not qualified to suggest any solutions to this problem - that must be a job for educationists.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
- He arrived at a decision, threw the cigarette away, and turned towards a small depressing row of agricultural cottages.
- He finally arrived at a compromise with her, which was that he could have three independent, non-civil servant, advisers.
- However, the parties involved were prepared to have their heads hit together to arrive at a solution.
- In such a case, some form of conflict resolution must be adopted to arrive at a solution.
- My colleagues and I, after much consideration have arrived at a decision.
- Now, she thought, now we shall get things done, sort things out, arrive at a solution.
- They spent time arriving at a decision on the correct software.
- Using committees internally to overcome restrictions on information and thereby arrive at a decision.
WORD FAMILYnounsolutionsolventsolubilityinsolvencyadjectivesoluble ≠ insolubleunsolvedsolvent ≠ insolventsolvable ≠ insolvableverbsolveadverbinsolvably
1[countable] a way of solving a problem or dealing with a difficult situation: The best solution would be for them to separate.solution to/for There are no simple solutions to the problem of overpopulation.2[countable] the correct answer to a problem in an exercise or competition SYN answersolution to The solution to last week’s puzzle is on page 12.3[countable, uncountable] a liquid in which a solid or gas has been mixed: a weak sugar solution saline solutionCOLLOCATIONSadjectivesa good solution· A good solution is to harvest the crop early in September.the best/perfect/ideal solution· Locking people in prison is not necessarily the ideal solution.an effective solution· The government has failed to come up with an effective solution.a satisfactory solution (=good enough)· We will not rest until a satisfactory solution is found.a neat solution (=simple and clever)· This sounded like a neat solution to the skills shortage.the only solution· The only solution is to greatly reduce our use of water.the real solution (=the only good solution)· The real solution to the waste problem is to produce much less waste.a possible solution· There are three possible solutions to this problem.an alternative solution· We need to look for alternative solutions.a simple/easy solution· There is no easy solution to this problem.a quick/speedy solution· We need to find a quick solution.a practical/workable solution (=one that is really possible)· They've had to find practical solutions to practical problems.a long-term solution (=one that will be effective for a long time)· A long-term solution to the problem will not be possible until that conflict is resolved.a quick-fix solution (=one that solves a problem for a short time only)· He has accused the government of looking for quick-fix solutions.a peaceful/political solution (=one that does not involve fighting)· We will continue to work strenuously for a political solution acceptable to all parties.verbsfind/come up with a solution· We are working together to find the best solution we can.seek/look for a solution· The company is still seeking a solution to its financial problems.provide/offer a solution· I don't think that tourism will provide a long-term solution to rural employment problems.suggest/put forward a solution· The chairman put forward a possible solution.