problem
problem
/ˈprɒbləm/
1 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)
Collocations
adjective
… of problems
verb + problem
problem + verb
problem + noun
preposition
problem about
problem for
problem of…
phrases
an approach to a problem
the crux of the problem
the heart of the problem…
2 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.
Collocations
adjective
verb + problem
find the answer to
problem + noun
Idioms
problem
/ˈprɒbləm/
causing problems for other people or yourself
She was a problem child, always in trouble with the police.
a new approach to problem drinking
One out of every five people is a problem drinker.
Word Origin
late 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’.