problem

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prob·lem

(prŏb′ləm)

1. A question to be considered, solved, or answered: math problems.

a. A situation, matter, or person that is hard to deal with or understand: was having problems breathing; considered the main problem to be his boss. See Usage Note at dilemma.

b. A personal matter that causes one difficulty or needs to be dealt with: felt her tyrannical boss had deep-seated problems.

3. A misgiving, objection, or complaint: I have a problem with his cynicism.

adj.

1. Difficult to deal with or control: a problem child.

2. Dealing with a moral or social problem: a problem play.

Idiom:

no problem

1. Used to express confirmation of or compliance with a request.

2. Used to acknowledge an expression of gratitude.

[Middle English probleme, from Old French, from Latin problēma, problēmat-, from Greek, from proballein, to throw before, put forward : pro-, before; see pro-² + ballein, blē-, to throw; see g^welə- in Indo-European roots.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

problem

(ˈprɒbləm)

a. any thing, matter, person, etc, that is difficult to deal with, solve, or overcome

b. (as modifier): a problem child.

2. a puzzle, question, etc, set for solution

3. (Mathematics) maths a statement requiring a solution usually by means of one or more operations or geometric constructions

4. (Literary & Literary Critical Terms) (modifier) designating a literary work that deals with difficult moral questions: a problem play.

[C14: from Late Latin problēma, from Greek: something put forward; related to proballein to throw forwards, from pro-² + ballein to throw]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

prob•lem

(ˈprɒb ləm)
n.

1. any question or matter involving doubt, uncertainty, or difficulty.

2. a question proposed for solution or discussion.

3. Math. a statement requiring a solution, usu. by means of a mathematical operation or geometric construction.

adj.

4. difficult to train or guide; unruly: a problem child.

5. Literature. dealing with difficult choices: a problem play.

Idioms:

no problem, (used as a conventional reply to a request or to an expression of gratitude): “Thanks a lot.” “No problem.”

[1350–1400; Middle English probleme < Latin problēma < Greek próblēma orig., obstacle =probállein to throw or lay before (pro- pro-² + bállein to throw) + -ma n. suffix of result]

problem

The noun problem has two common meanings.

1. an unsatisfactory situation

A problem is an unsatisfactory situation that needs to be dealt with.

They discussed the problem of bullying in schools.

You can say that someone has a problem or has problems.

We have a problem with our car.

They are having financial problems at the moment.

You can also say that someone has problems doing something.

Many people are having problems paying their rent.

The company has problems finding suitably qualified staff.

Be Careful!
Don't say that someone 'has problems to do' something. Don't say, for example, 'Many people are having problems to pay their rent'.

2. 'reason'

Don't use 'problem' with why when you are explaining why a situation has occurred. Don't say, for example, 'The problem why he couldn't come is that he is ill'. You say 'The reason why he couldn't come is that he is ill'.

The reason why the project failed is lack of money.

See reason

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	problem - a state of difficulty that needs to be resolved; "she and her husband are having problems"; "it is always a job to contact him"; "urban problems such as traffic congestion and smog" job difficulty - a condition or state of affairs almost beyond one's ability to deal with and requiring great effort to bear or overcome; "grappling with financial difficulties" race problem - a social and political problem caused by conflict between races occupying the same or adjacent regions balance-of-payments problem - an economic problem caused by payments for imports being greater than receipts for exports
	2.	problem - a question raised for consideration or solution; "our homework consisted of ten problems to solve" question, head - the subject matter at issue; "the question of disease merits serious discussion"; "under the head of minor Roman poets" mystifier, puzzle, puzzler, teaser - a particularly baffling problem that is said to have a correct solution; "he loved to solve chessmate puzzles"; "that's a real puzzler" case - a problem requiring investigation; "Perry Mason solved the case of the missing heir" homework problem - a problem that students are assigned to do outside of class brain-teaser, conundrum, riddle, enigma - a difficult problem stumper, toughie, poser, sticker - a particularly difficult or baffling question or problem Gordian knot - any very difficult problem; insoluble in its own terms koan - a paradoxical anecdote or a riddle that has no solution; used in Zen Buddhism to show the inadequacy of logical reasoning pons asinorum - a problem that severely tests the ability of an inexperienced person rebus - a puzzle where you decode a message consisting of pictures representing syllables and words
	3.	problem - a source of difficulty; "one trouble after another delayed the job"; "what's the problem?" trouble difficulty - a factor causing trouble in achieving a positive result or tending to produce a negative result; "serious difficulties were encountered in obtaining a pure reagent" pressure point - where problems or difficulties are likely to occur; "a key pressure point in the controversy was the building permit" can of worms - a source of unpredictable trouble and complexity deep water - serious trouble growing pains - problems that arise in enlarging an enterprise (especially in the early stages) hydra - trouble that cannot be overcome by a single effort because of its many aspects or its persistent and pervasive quality; "we may be facing a hydra that defies any easy solution" matter - a problem; "is anything the matter?"

problem

noun

1. difficulty, trouble, dispute, plight, obstacle, dilemma, headache (informal), disagreement, complication, predicament, quandary, turf war (informal) the economic problems of the inner city

2. puzzle, question, riddle, enigma, conundrum, teaser, poser, brain-teaser (informal) a mathematical problem

adjective

1. difficult, disturbed, troublesome, unruly, delinquent, uncontrollable, intractable, recalcitrant, intransigent, unmanageable, disobedient, ungovernable, refractory, maladjusted Sometimes a problem child is placed in a special school.

Proverbs
"A problem shared is a problem halved"

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

problem

noun

A situation that presents difficulty, uncertainty, or perplexity:

hornets' nest, issue, question.

Informal: can of worms.

Translations

مَسْأله حِسابيَّهمُشْكِلَةمُشْكِلَه

problém

problemopgave

Problem Übung

πρόβλημα

problemo

problema

harjutuskitsikusküsimusmõistatusmure

مشکل

ongelma

problème trouble emmerde

problem

bajfeladatgondprobléma

dæmivandamál

problema

問題

문제

problemiškas

problēmauzdevumsgrūti audzināms bērns

probleem oefening

problem utfordring oppgave

problem zadanie kłopot

problema

проблема задача этюд задание

problémový

problemtežava

problemпроблем

problem

ปัญหา

sorun problem

vấn đề

问题疑难问题

problem

[ˈprɒbləm]

A. N (gen) (also Math) → problema m
what's the problem? → ¿cuál es el problema?
that's your problem → eso es problema tuyo
it's not my problem → no es problema mío
loneliness isn't the problem → el problema no está en or no es la soledad
the problem is that she can't cook → el problema es que no sabe cocinar
his problem is that he's never satisfied → su problema es que nunca está satisfecho
he has a drink problem → tiene problemas con la bebida, bebe demasiado
she has a serious drug problem → tiene graves problemas con las drogas
this will not solve America's drug problem → esto no solucionará el problema de las drogas en América
the real problem for the police is the lack of funding → el verdadero problema de la policía es la escasez de fondos
that presents a big problem for schools → eso supone un gran problema para las escuelas
he shouldn't have a or any problem finding a job → no le será difícil encontrar trabajo
phone me if you have any problems → llámame si tienes cualquier problema
I had no problem getting a mortgage → no tuve problemas para conseguir una hipoteca
he's having problems deciding what subjects to study → le está costando decidir qué asignaturas estudiar
do you have a problem with that? → ¿te molesta?
I have no problem with the ordination of women → no tengo nada en contra de la ordenación de las mujeres
health problems → problemas mpl de salud
to have a heart problem → tener problemas de corazón
the housing problem → el problema de la vivienda
no problem! (= of course) → ¡claro!, ¡cómo no!; (= it doesn't matter) → ¡no importa!, ¡no hay problema!
the problem of how to fund education → el problema de cómo financiar la enseñanza
we've still got the problem of what to give them for lunch → aún nos queda por solucionar el problema de qué darles para comer
to have a weight problem → tener problemas de peso
the problem with men is that → lo malo de los hombres es que ...

B. CPD problem case N (Med, Sociol) → caso m difícil
problem child N → niño/a m/f problemático/a
problem drinker N he's a problem drinker → tiene problemas con la bebida
problem drinking N his problem drinking is wrecking his marriage → sus problemas con la bebida están destrozando su matrimonio
problem family N → familia f con problemas
problem page N → consultorio m sentimental
problem play N → drama m de tesis
problem solving N → resolución f de problemas

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

problem

[ˈprɒbləm]

n (= difficulty) → problème m
the main problem was that ... → le problème principal était que ...
what's the problem? → qu'y a-t-il?, quel est le problème?
no problem! → pas de problème!
to have problems with sb/sth → avoir des problèmes avec qn/qch
to have no problem doing sth → n'avoir aucun mal à faire qch
I had no problem finding her → Je n'ai eu aucun mal à la trouver.

(mathematical) → problème m
a mathematical problem → un problème mathématique

modif [family, child] → à problèmes
a problem drinker → une personne ayant un problème d'alcool
a problem gambler → un(e) joueur/euse maladif/ive, un(e) joueur/euse pathologique problem areaproblem area n → zone f de problèmes

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

problem

n → Problem nt; (Math: as school exercise) → Aufgabe f; (= problematic area) → Problematik f; what’s the problem? → wo fehlt’s?; he’s got a drink(ing) problem → er trinkt (zu viel); to have no problem with something → kein Problem or keine Schwierigkeiten mit etw haben, etw nicht problematisch finden; I had no problem in getting the money → ich habe das Geld ohne Schwierigkeiten bekommen; no problem! (inf) → kein Problem!; the whole problem of modernization → die ganze Modernisierungsproblematik; problem area → Problembereich m

problem

problem child

n → Problemkind nt

problem family

n → Problemfamilie f

problem-oriented

adj (Comput) → problemorientiert

problem page

n → Problemseite f

problem play

n → Problemstück nt

problem-solving

n → Problemlösung f; problem skills → Problemlösungsfähigkeit f

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

problem

[ˈprɒbləm]

1. n (also) (Math) → problema m
to have problems with the car → avere dei problemi con la macchina
my son is a problem → mio figlio è un problema
the housing problem → la crisi degli alloggi
to have a drinking problem → avere il vizio del bere
I had no problem in finding her → non mi è stato difficile trovarla
what's the problem? → che cosa c'è?
no problem! → ma certamente!, non c'è problema!
it's not my problem → è un affare che non mi riguarda
that's no problem for/to him → per lui non è un problema

2. adj (child, family) → difficile

problem

(ˈprobləm) noun

1. a difficulty; a matter about which it is difficult to decide what to do. Life is full of problems; (also adjective) a problem child.

2. a question to be answered or solved. mathematical problems.

ˌprobleˈmatic(al) (-ˈmӕ-) adjective

problem

→ مُشْكِلَة problém problem Problem πρόβλημα problema ongelma problème problem problema 問題 문제 probleem problem problem problema проблема problem ปัญหา sorun vấn đề 问题

prob·lem

n. problema; cuestión; trastorno;

___ solving → solución de ___ -s.

No problem → لا بَأْسَ → Žádný problém → Det er okay → Kein Problem → Κανένα πρόβλημα → No hay problema → Ei ongelmia → Pas de problème → Nema problema → Nessun problema → いいですとも → 문제 없어요 → Geen probleem → Alt i orden → Nie ma sprawy → Sem problema → Нет проблем → Det är helt OK → ไม่มีปัญหา → Sorun değil → Không có vấn đề gì → 没问题
There's a problem with your fax (US)
There is a problem with your fax (UK) → Der er et problem med Deres fax → Su fax no funciona del todo bien → Faksissanne on jokin ongelma → C'è un problema con il suo fax → Er is een probleem met uw fax → Det er noe i veien med faksen din → Mamy problem z Panafaksem → Tem algum problema com seu fax → Ваш факс не прошел → Faksınızda bir sorun var → 您的传真有问题
There's a problem with the room → Mám problém s pokojem → Der er et problem med værelset → Mit dem Zimmer gibt es ein Problem → Huoneessa on ongelma → Nešto nije u redu sa sobom → C'è un problema con la camera → 部屋に問題があります → 방에 문제가 있어요 → Er is een probleem met de kamer → Det er noe i veien med rommet → Mamy problem z naszym pokojem → Tem um problema com o quarto → Det är ett problem med rummet → Odada bir sorun var → Phòng này có vấn đề → 这房间有问题

problem

n problema m

References in classic literature ?

By adopting smaller and smaller elements of motion we only approach a solution of the problem, but never reach it.

View in context

So there arose before me a problem, a clear and simple problem: THIS IS SO EASY, WHY NOT KEEP IT UP WHEN YOU GET BACK ON LAND?

View in context

"Very well, old Barbicane," replied Michel; "they might have cut off my head, beginning at my feet, before they could have made me solve that problem."

View in context

She knew the post-nuptial problem of retaining a husband's love, as few wives of any class knew it, just as she knew the pre-nuptial problem of selecting a husband, as few girls of the working class knew it.

View in context

And as soon as silence came, I found myself in front of this extraordinary mass of faces, thinking not of them, but of that long and unhappy chapter in our country's history which followed the one great structural mistake of the Fathers of the Republic; thinking of the one continuous great problem that generations of statesmen had wrangled over, and a million men fought about, and that had so dwarfed the mass of English men in the Southern States as to hold them back a hundred years behind their fellows in every other part of the world--in England, in Australia, and in the Northern and Western States; I was thinking of this dark shadow that had oppressed every large-minded statesman from Jefferson to Lincoln.

View in context

You may readily understand that I have occupied my mind with this subject, which was, necessarily, so interesting to me, but I have not been able to solve the problem with the appliances now known to mechanical science.

View in context

Levin was insufferably bored that evening with the ladies; he was stirred as he had never been before by the idea that the dissatisfaction he was feeling with his system of managing his land was not an exceptional case, but the general condition of things in Russia; that the organization of some relation of the laborers to the soil in which they would work, as with the peasant he had met half-way to the Sviazhskys', was not a dream, but a problem which must be solved.

View in context

Since then the most conservative engineer will discuss the problem of transatlantic telephony.

View in context

Their interest in psychology is naturally centred in the relation of consciousness to its object, a problem which, properly, belongs rather to theory of knowledge.

View in context

I have many friends in America, I feel a grateful interest in the country, I hope and believe it will successfully work out a problem of the highest importance to the whole human race.

View in context

And another problem: why do I call you "gentlemen," why do I address you as though you really were my readers?

View in context

By this time the carriages, that were to convey the revelers to their respective homes, had begun to assemble outside the Castle-grounds: and it became evident--now that Lady Muriel's cousin had joined our party that the problem, how to convey five people to Elveston, with a carriage that would only hold four, must somehow be solved.