Meaning of problem in English

problem

noun [ C ]

/ˈprɒb.ləm/ us

/ˈprɑː.bləm/

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a situation, person, or thing that needs attention and needs to be dealt with or solved:

financial/health problems

Our main problem is lack of cash.

I'm having problems with my computer.

No one has solved the problem of what to do with radioactive waste.

The very high rate of inflation poses/presents (= is) a serious problem for the government.

Who is going to tackle (= deal with) the problem of poverty in the inner cities?

[ + -ing verb ] Did you have any problems (= difficulties) getting here?

I'd love to come - the only problem is I've got friends staying that night.

Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples

a problem

problemWhat's the problem here?
difficultyThe company is having some financial difficulties at the moment.
troubleWe've had a lot of trouble with the new computer system.
hitchThe ceremony went without a hitch.
glitchWe've had a few technical glitches, but I'm confident we'll be ready on time.
hurdleGetting a work permit is only the first hurdle.

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a question in mathematics that needs an answer:

We were given ten problems to solve.

problem child, family, etc.

a child, family, etc. that is considered to have problems with their behaviour, mental or physical health, etc.:

She spoke like a schoolteacher talking to a problem child.

More examplesFewer examples

Traffic congestion in large cities seems to be an insoluble problem.
Her only problem is lack of confidence.
I've had continual problems with this car ever since I bought it.
Tiredness, loss of appetite and sleeping problems are all classic symptoms of depression.
Desperate measures are needed to deal with the growing drug problem.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Difficult things and people

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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Difficult situations and unpleasant experiences

Calculations & calculating

Idioms

have a problem with something/someone

no problem

(Definition of problem from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

problem | American Dictionary

problem

noun [ C ]

/ˈprɑb·ləm/

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something that causes difficulty or that is hard to deal with:

Financing the camp’s athletic program is a problem.

He has a serious health problem.

I’m having problems with my in-laws again.

mathematics

A problem is also a question to be answered or solved, esp. by reasoning or calculating:

math problems

(Definition of problem from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of problem

problem

Additionally, these plans serve to identify possible problems and recognize ineffective designs.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The problem is that each player's use indirectly interferes with the other's use and that some arrangement is necessary to reconcile both uses.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Coordination problems abound, and their solutions are facilitated when players have the ability to quickly acquire expectations about fellow players' behavior.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Qualitative researchers have also recognized the problem of hierarchical, nested levels of context, even if they have not expressed the problem in those terms.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The zero plural avoids the problem of having two sibilants in quick succession at the end of the words, and coincidentally maintains the classical tradition.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

In particular, problems of coexistence and exclusion of competing species have been theoretically investigated using models based on partial and ordinary differential equations.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Validated solutions of initial value problems for ordinary differential equations.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Perhaps, moreover, a case can be made for saying that philosophical understanding is advanced, not by solving problems head-on, but by moving around them.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

I come now to what is perhaps a more serious problem from a philosophical perspective.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

For this, we must rely on the physically-based model equation, and on comparisons with solutions (numerical) of the exact problem.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

An uncomputable problem might not be very interesting since the answer can never physically exist.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Reconstructive procedures, however, lie along a continuum, without any clear boundary between therapeutic reconstructive surgery for a diagnosable problem and purely cosmetic surgery.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Note that even if we rely on purely structural tests, this is a problem.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

None had been referred for assessment or treatment of any psychological problem.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

These results can be applied to the type retractions problem as the problem can be reduced to the higher-order matching problem using the following theorem.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

Collocations with problem

problem

These are words often used in combination with problem.

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age-old problem

This book is a useful addition to the literature, particularly for its attempt to link molecular plant breeding to an age-old problem.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

alcohol-related problem

These items were summed to form an alcohol-related problem variable.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

attendant problems

However, while this approach is important, not least because it takes seriously the complexity associated with lexical structure, there are a number of attendant problems.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

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What is the pronunciation of problem?