problem
noun OPAL WOPAL S
/ˈprɒbləm/
/ˈprɑːbləm/
Idioms - a thing that is difficult to deal with or to understand
- big/serious/major problems
- She has a lot of health problems.
- financial/social/technical problems
- Let me know if you have any problems.
- The government must address the problem of child poverty.
- We cannot tackle this problem effectively on our own.
- We are dealing with a serious problem here.
- Money isn't going to solve the problem.
- (especially North American English) to fix a problem
- If he chooses Mary it's bound to cause problems.
- to pose/create a problem
- The problem first arose in 2018.
- problem with something There is a problem with this argument.
- problem of something the problem of drug abuse
- problem of doing something Most students face the problem of funding themselves while they are studying.
- problem for somebody Unemployment is a very real problem for graduates now.
- It’s a nice table! The only problem is (that) it’s too big for our room.
- Part of the problem is the shape of the room.
- Stop worrying about their marriage—it isn't your problem.
- There's no history of heart problems (= disease connected with the heart) in our family.
- the magazine’s problem page (= containing letters about readers’ problems and advice about how to solve them)
Extra ExamplesTopics Difficulty and failurea1, Social issuesa1- All the anti-depressant does is mask the problem.
- Depression is a natural feeling if your problems seem intractable.
- For years I've tried to overlook this problem.
- Fortunately, it's easy to avoid any potential problems.
- Framing the problem is an important step.
- She believes she may have found a solution to the problem.
- He developed a drinking problem.
- She doesn't really see the problem.
- He doesn't seem to understand my problem.
- She had to undergo surgery to cure the problem with her knee.
- He has been faced with all manner of problems in his new job.
- Her new job had taken her mind off her family problems for a while.
- I didn't imagine there would be a problem about getting tickets.
- I don't anticipate any future problems in that regard.
- I forgot my problems for a moment.
- I'm glad you finally admitted your problem.
- If the problem persists you should see a doctor.
- Inadequate resources pose a problem for all members of staff.
- Most people can see the ethical problem with accepting such an offer.
- No one ever asked why or how the problem originated.
- Our greatest problem is the lack of funds.
- She had serious substance abuse problems with both cocaine and heroin.
- She raised the problem of falling sales at the last meeting.
- Success brings its own problems.
- Systemic security problems have been identified.
- The accident poses a terrible problem for the family.
- The basic problem remains the lack of available housing.
- The plan has been fraught with problems from the start.
- The problem lies in the lack of communication between managers and staff.
- Therein lies the problem.
- The rail strike is a problem for all commuters.
- The role of the sun in climate change is still a big unsolved problem.
- The traffic in illegal drugs is a global problem.
- These symptoms may indicate a serious problem.
- They created a task force to study this problem.
- They sold their car to ease their financial problems.
- This illustrates another potential problem.
- This underscores the biggest problem with electronic voting.
- We need to get to the root of the problem before we can solve it.
- We're faced with a whole host of new problems.
- This is one of the great problems of cosmology: where did the overall structure of the universe come from?
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- acute
- big
- enormous
- …
- host
- set
- be
- pose
- present (somebody with)
- …
- arise
- come up
- crop up
- …
- area
- spot
- behaviour/behavior
- …
- problem about
- problem for
- problem of
- …
- an approach to a problem
- the crux of the problem
- the heart of the problem
- …
- a question that can be answered by using logical thought or mathematics
- mathematical problems
- to find the answer to the problem
- The teacher set us 50 problems to do.
- I have five problems to do for homework.
WordfinderTopics Maths and measurementb2- algebra
- arithmetic
- calculus
- equation
- geometry
- logarithm
- maths
- numeracy
- problem
- trigonometry
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- complicated
- difficult
- easy
- …
- do
- find the answer to
- solve
- …
- set
Word Originlate Middle English (originally denoting a riddle or a question for academic discussion): from Old French probleme, via Latin from Greek problēma, from proballein ‘put forth’, from pro ‘before’ + ballein ‘to throw’.
Idioms
have a problem with something/somebody
- to disagree with or object to something/somebody
- I have no problem with you working at home tomorrow.
- (informal) We are going to do this my way. Do you have a problem with that? (= showing that you are impatient with the person that you are speaking to)
- Do you have a problem with her?
it’s/that’s not my problem
- (informal) used to show that you do not care about somebody else’s difficulties
- If they can't afford to go, that's not my problem.
no problem (informal)
- (also not a problem)used to show that you are happy to help somebody or that something will be easy to do
- ‘Can I pay by credit card?’ ‘Yes, no problem.’
- used after somebody has thanked you or said they are sorry for something
- ‘Thanks for the ride.’ ‘No problem.’
that’s her/his/their/your problem
- (informal) used to show that you think a person should deal with their own difficulties
- ‘My parents will be furious!’ ‘That’s your problem.’
what’s your problem?
- (informal) used to show that you think somebody is being unreasonable
- What's your problem?—I only asked if you could help me for ten minutes.