PROBLEM

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does problem mean? 

• PROBLEM (noun)
  The noun PROBLEM has 3 senses:

1. a state of difficulty that needs to be resolved

2. a question raised for consideration or solution

3. a source of difficulty

  Familiarity information: PROBLEM used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PROBLEM (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A state of difficulty that needs to be resolved

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

job; problem

Context example:

urban problems such as traffic congestion and smog

Hypernyms ("problem" is a kind of...):

difficulty (a condition or state of affairs almost beyond one's ability to deal with and requiring great effort to bear or overcome)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "problem"):

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)

Derivation:

problematic; problematical (making great mental demands; hard to comprehend or solve or believe)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A question raised for consideration or solution

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Context example:

our homework consisted of ten problems to solve

Hypernyms ("problem" is a kind of...):

head; question (the subject matter at issue)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "problem"):

homework problem (a problem that students are assigned to do outside of class)

rebus (a puzzle where you decode a message consisting of pictures representing syllables and words)

pons asinorum (a problem that severely tests the ability of an inexperienced person)

koan (a paradoxical anecdote or a riddle that has no solution; used in Zen Buddhism to show the inadequacy of logical reasoning)

Gordian knot (any very difficult problem; insoluble in its own terms)

poser; sticker; stumper; toughie (a particularly difficult or baffling question or problem)

brain-teaser; conundrum; enigma; riddle (a difficult problem)

case (a problem requiring investigation)

mystifier; puzzle; puzzler; teaser (a particularly baffling problem that is said to have a correct solution)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A source of difficulty

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

problem; trouble

Context example:

what's the problem?

Hypernyms ("problem" is a kind of...):

difficulty (a factor causing trouble in achieving a positive result or tending to produce a negative result)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "problem"):

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)

matter (a problem)

pressure point (where problems or difficulties are likely to occur)

Derivation:

problematical (open to doubt or debate)

 Context examples 

He had solved the problem; now he could rest.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

But he was then deep in a problem; and we attended at least an hour, before he could solve it.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

I will sum up the problems that Cancers who are not happy, as well as those who are thinking of leaving either an important business or serious romantic relationship.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

“Ah! there lies our problem. There is one rather obvious line of investigation.”

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

A way to sidestep this problem is to examine the Moon.

(Moon Data Sheds Light on Earth’s Asteroid Impact History, NASA)

Researchers with the European Society of Cardiology examined health data from more than 161,000 people with no history of heart problems.

(Frequently brushing teeth may help prevent heart attacks, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Major depression represents one of the world's most serious public health problems.

(Forty-Four Genomic Variants Linked to Major Depression, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

The problem which we have just listened to, although it can admit of but one explanation, has still some distinguishing features.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

There are several points in this problem which I have not been able to explain to you yet.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The problem of dead zones has been known about for decades, but little has been done to tackle it.

(Oceans running out of oxygen at unprecedented rate, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)