problem

problem
{{Roman}}I.{{/Roman}}
noun
1 sth that causes difficulties
ADJECTIVE
acute, big, enormous, grave, great, huge, important, major, serious, significant

Our greatest problem is the lack of funds.

global

The traffic in illegal drugs is a global problem.

terrible

The accident poses a terrible problem for the family.

real
perceived
little, minor, petty, slight
complex, complicated, difficult, knotty, thorny, tough
growing
basic, central, fundamental, key, main, major, number-one (esp. AmE)

Access to capital is often the number-one problem for many entrepreneurs.

underlying

the underlying problem that's causing your high blood pressure

annoying, vexing (esp. AmE)
common
pressing, urgent
unforeseen

Unforeseen problems often arise.

immediate
possible, potential

Fortunately, it's easy to avoid any potential problems.

insoluble, insuperable (formal), insurmountable (formal), intractable (formal)

Depression is a natural feeling if your problems seem intractable.

unresolved, unsolved

The role of the sun in climate change is still a big unsolved problem.

age-old, long-standing, long-term, perennial
chronic, ongoing, persistent, recurring
inherent

the inherent problems of merging two very different companies

logistical, practical
mechanical, technical
systemic

Systemic security problems have been identified.

attitude, behaviour/behavior, behavioural/behavioral, developmental, emotional, mental, mental-health, psychiatric, psychological

His teachers say he has an attitude problem.

family, personal

Her new job had taken her mind off her family problems for a while.

communication

We had communication problems.

fertility, health, medical, physical, sexual, sleep
back, heart, knee
alcohol, drink (BrE), drinking (AmE), drug, gambling, substance-abuse

She had serious substance abuse problems with both cocaine and heroin.

social
housing
economic, financial, money

They sold their car to ease their financial problems.

environmental
political
legal
marital, marriage
ethical, moral

Most people can see the ethical problem with accepting such an offer.

… OF PROBLEMS
host, set

We're faced with a whole host of new problems.

an elegant solution to a very complex set of problems

VERB + PROBLEM
be, pose, present (sb with), remain

Inadequate resources pose a problem for all members of staff.

have
develop

He developed a drinking problem.

bring, cause, create, pose

Success brings its own problems.

Staff shortages cause problems for the organization.

complicate, compound
be beset with, be confronted by, be confronted with, be dogged by (esp. BrE), be faced with, be fraught with, confront, encounter, experience, face, run into, suffer

He has been faced with all sorts of problems in his new job.

The plan has been fraught with problems from the start.

battle

an important step in battling the terrorist problem

attribute, blame

the problems attributed to capitalism

They blame the problem on the new prescription drug law.

raise

She raised the problem of falling sales at the last meeting.

see

He doesn't really see the problem.

define
acknowledge, admit, recognize

I'm glad you finally admitted your problem.

understand

He doesn't seem to understand my problem.

anticipate, foresee

I don't anticipate any future problems in that regard.

detect, discover, identify, isolate, pinpoint, spot
indicate, point out

These symptoms may indicate a serious problem.

assess, examine, investigate, study

They created a task force to study this problem.

diagnose, figure out (esp. AmE), work out
consider, debate, discuss, look at, look into
describe, frame (esp. AmE)

Framing the problem is an important step.

address, approach, attack, combat, come to grips with, counter, get to grips with, grapple with, handle, manage, tackle

The next meeting will address the problem of obesity.

illustrate

This illustrates another potential problem.

highlight, underscore (esp. AmE)

This underscores the biggest problem with electronic voting.

mask

All the anti-depressant does is mask the problem.

avoid, circumvent, find a way around, find a way round (esp. BrE), get around, get round (esp. BrE), prevent, sidestep
ignore
overlook

For years I've tried to overlook this problem.

forget

I forgot my problems for a moment.

clear up, correct, cure, deal with, eliminate, fix (esp. AmE), iron out, overcome, rectify, remedy, repair, resolve, settle, solve, sort out, troubleshoot

He had to undergo surgery to cure the problem with his knee.

alleviate, ease, minimize, mitigate, reduce, relieve, simplify
aggravate, exacerbate, exaggerate, magnify, worsen
analyse/analyze, explore
PROBLEM + VERB
arise, come up, crop up, emerge, occur, surface

problems arising from poor ventilation

exist
begin, originate

No one ever asked why or how the problem originated.

persist, remain

If the problem persists you should see a doctor.

The basic problem remains the lack of available housing.

afflict sb, beset sb, confront sb, face sb, plague sb
lie in sth

The problem lies in the lack of communication between managers and staff.

Therein lies the problem.

result from sth, stem from sth

a problem resulting from technical inadequacy

PROBLEM + NOUN
area, spot
behaviour/behavior
child
drinker, gambler

One out of every five people is a problem drinker.

drinking, gambling

a new approach to problem drinking

page (BrE) (= in a magazine, containing letters about readers' problems)
PREPOSITION
problem about

I didn't imagine there would be a problem about getting tickets.

problem for

The rail strike is a problem for all commuters.

problem of

the problem of poverty

problem with

Do you have a problem with her?

PHRASES
an approach to a problem
the crux of the problem, the heart of the problem, the root of the problem

We need to get to the root of the problem before we can solve it.

the answer to a problem, a remedy to a problem, a solution to a problem

He believes he may have found the answer to his problem.

He believes he may have found a solution to the problem.

the scale of a problem
2 question to be solved
ADJECTIVE
complicated, difficult
easy, simple
math (AmE), mathematical, maths (BrE)

the ability to solve simple mathematical problems

VERB + PROBLEM
do, find the answer to, solve, work out

I have five problems to do for homework.

PROBLEM + NOUN
set (AmE)
{{Roman}}II.{{/Roman}}
adj.
Problem is used with these nouns: ↑area, ↑behaviour, ↑child, ↑drinker, ↑gambler, ↑gambling

Collocations dictionary. 2013.

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  • problem — [präb′ləm] n. [ME probleme < MFr < L problema < Gr problēma < proballein, to throw forward < pro , forward + ballein, to throw, drive: see PRO 1 & BALL2] 1. a question proposed for solution or consideration 2. a question, matter,… …   English World dictionary

  • Problem — Prob lem, n. [F. probl[ e]me, L. problema, fr. Gr. ? anything thrown forward, a question proposed for solution, fr. ? to throw or lay before; ? before, forward + ? to throw. Cf. {Parable}. ] [1913 Webster] 1. A question proposed for solution; a… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • problem — pròblēm m <G probléma> DEFINICIJA 1. teorijsko ili praktično pitanje koje treba riješiti [bit problema; matematički problem; načeti problem] 2. težak zadatak; teškoća, ono što komplicira rješenje ili radni proces [to je problem; to je… …   Hrvatski jezični portal

  • Problem — Sn Schwierigkeit, Aufgabe std. (16. Jh.) Entlehnung. Entlehnt aus l. problēma, dieses aus gr. próblēma, eigentlich das Vorgelegte , zu gr. probállein vorwerfen, vorhalten , zu gr. bállein werfen und gr. pro . Die schwächere moderne Bedeutung… …   Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen sprache

  • problem — {{/stl 13}}{{stl 8}}rz. mnż I, D. u, Mc. problemmie {{/stl 8}}{{stl 20}} {{/stl 20}}{{stl 12}}1. {{/stl 12}}{{stl 7}} poważne zagadnienie z jakiejś dziedziny, które trzeba rozstrzygnąć, rozwiązać : {{/stl 7}}{{stl 10}}Problem matematyczny.… …   Langenscheidt Polski wyjaśnień

  • problem — (n.) late 14c., a difficult question proposed for solution, from O.Fr. problème (14c.), from L. problema, from Gk. problema a problem, a question, lit. thing put forward, from proballein propose, from pro forward (see PRO (Cf. pro )) + ballein to …   Etymology dictionary

  • Problēm — (v. gr. Problēma), 1) eine Frage, welche beantwortet, eine Aufgabe, welche gelöst werden soll u. deren Beantwortung u. Lösung nicht unmittelbar zugänglich ist, sondern einer Vermittelung des Denkens od. Handelns bedarf Enthält eine… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • problem — PROBLÉM s.n. v. problemă. Trimis de oprocopiuc, 13.09.2007. Sursa: DEX 98  PROBLÉM s.n. v. problemă. Trimis de LauraGellner, 13.09.2007. Sursa: DN …   Dicționar Român

  • problem — [n1] difficulty; bad situation botheration, box*, can of worms*, complication, count*, crunch*, dilemma, disagreement, dispute, disputed point, doubt, headache*, hitch*, hot water*, issue, mess*, obstacle, pickle*, point at issue*, predicament,… …   New thesaurus

  • Problem — [Wichtig (Rating 3200 5600)] Bsp.: • Wir hatten zuerst ein paar Probleme. • Ich habe hier ein Problem. Kannst du mir helfen? …   Deutsch Wörterbuch

  • Problēm — (griech.) heißt jede der Beantwortung, bez. Lösung harrende wissenschaftliche »Frage« oder »Aufgabe«. Auf dem Wege der Ausstellung und Lösung immer neuer Probleme erfolgt die Entwickelung jeder Wissenschaft, und die Aufzeigung und zweckmäßige… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

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