problem

• probleme (obsolete)
• pro'lem (eye dialect)

From Middle English probleme, from Middle French probleme, from Latin problēma, from Ancient Greek πρόβλημα (próblēma, “anything thrown forward, hindrance, obstacle, anything projecting, a headland, promontory”), from προβάλλω (probállō, “to throw or lay something in front of someone, to put forward”), from προ- (pro-, “in front of”) + βάλλω (bállō, “to throw, to cast, to hurl”). Doublet of problema.

• (Received Pronunciation, Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈpɹɒbləm/
  • (Received Pronunciation, dated) IPA^(key): /ˈpɹɒblɪm/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈpɹɑbləm/, (reduced) /-bəm/, [-bm̩], /-əm/, [-m̩]

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

• Hyphenation: prob‧lem

problem (plural problems)

2. A difficulty that has to be resolved or dealt with.

   Synonym: rub

   Hypernyms: challenge, issue, obstacle

   She's leaving because she faced numerous problems to do with racism.

   • 1910, Emerson Hough, chapter I, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:

     “ […] it is not fair of you to bring against mankind double weapons ! Dangerous enough you are as woman alone, without bringing to your aid those gifts of mind suited to problems which men have been accustomed to arrogate to themselves.”

   • 1999 February 3, Anthony Horowitz et al., “Strangler's Wood”, in Midsomer Murders:

     Kate's very good with problems, Chief Inspector. Other people's, anyway.

   • 2014 March 7, Nicole Vulser, “Perfume manufacturers must cope with the scarcity of precious supplies”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 190, number 13, page 30:

     The perfume industry is facing a major problem: maintaining constant levels of quality is crucial, but it is increasingly difficult to obtain a regular supply of all the necessary natural ingredients.

   1. An addiction, other substance use disorder, or comparable psychological challenge.

      Hyponyms: drinking problem, drug problem

      I think he has a gambling problem. Lending him money will probably only make it worse.

      I think he has a nose candy problem. Lending him money will probably only make it worse.

4. A question to be answered, schoolwork exercise.

   Study hard, but don't overdo it. The problems in the exam won't be difficult to solve.

6. A puzzling circumstance.
7. Objection.

   You got a problem with that?

8. Difficulty in accepting or understanding or refusal to accept or understand.

   You made your best honest effort; if they judge you harshly, that’s their problem, not yours.

9. (climbing) A set of moves required to complete a climb.

• Colloquially, "problem" in sense 1 can be put after an objective personal pronoun to create a noun phrase meaning "that person's/those people's problem."

1994, Joel S. Weissman, Arnold M. Epstein, Falling Through the Safety Net: Insurance Status and Access to Health Care, page 30:

Until Middle America understands lack of insurance and underinsurance as an "us" problem rather than a "them" problem, the motivation for change will be diminished.

• → Welsh: problem

problem (comparative more problem, superlative most problem)

1. Of a person or an animal, difficult to train or guide; unruly.
2. Causing a problem; problematic; troublesome.
   • 2010, A. M. Aleksander, The Pride of the King‎^[3]:

     It is more problem to my family than to me.

problem (third-person singular simple present problems, present participle probleming, simple past and past participle problemed)

1. (transitive, nonstandard, uncommon) To problematize.
   • 1989, United States, Congress, Senate, Impeachment Trial Committee on the Articles against Judge Alcee L. Hastings, Report of the Senate Impeachment Trial Committee on the Articles Against Judge Alcee L. Hastings, Hearings Before the Senate Impeachment Trial Committee, United States Senate, One Hundred First Congress, First Session, page 2341:

     Now, if I thought he was there, it was that at some point in time he told me that's where he would be. If that's probleming you, it's not probleming me.

• “problem”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin Eli Smith, editors (1895–1910), “problem”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
• “problem”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Internationalism; ultimately from Ancient Greek πρόβλημα (próblēma).

• Audio (Baku):

  (file)

problem (definite accusative problemi, plural problemlər)

1. problem

French problème.

• Hyphenation: prob‧lem

problem

1. problem

   Synonym: problema

• “problem”, in Luğatçıq (in Russian)

From Latin problēma, from Ancient Greek πρόβλημα (próblēma).

problem n (singular definite problemet, plural indefinite problemer)

1. problem

• “problem” in Den Danske Ordbog
• “problem” in Ordbog over det danske Sprog

From Dutch probleem, from Latin problēma, from Ancient Greek πρόβλημα (próblēma).

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˈproblem/ [ˈpro.blɛm]
• Rhymes: -oblem
• Syllabification: pro‧blem

problem (plural problem-problem)

1. problem

   Synonyms: masalah, perkara, persoalan

• “problem”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

• problema

Borrowed from Polish problem.

• IPA^(key): /ˈprɔ.blɛm/
• Rhymes: -ɔblɛm
• Syllabification: pro‧blem

problem m inan

1. problem

• Jan Trepczyk (1994), “problem”, in Słownik polsko-kaszubski (in Kashubian), volumes 1–2
• Eùgeniusz Gòłąbk (2011), “problem”, in Słownik Polsko-Kaszubski / Słowôrz Pòlskò-Kaszëbsczi‎^[4]
• “problem”, in Internetowi Słowôrz Kaszëbsczégò Jãzëka [Internet Dictionary of the Kashubian Language], Fundacja Kaszuby, 2022

problem

1. alternative form of probleme

problem n (definite singular problemet, indefinite plural problem or problemer, definite plural problema or problemene)

1. problem

• “problem” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

• IPA^(key): /prʊˈbleːm/

problem n (definite singular problemet, indefinite plural problem, definite plural problema)

1. problem

• “problem” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Borrowed from French problème.^[1][2] First attested in 1900.^[3] Displaced and doublet of problema, a borrowing directly from Latin.

• IPA^(key): /ˈprɔ.blɛm/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔblɛm
• Syllabification: pro‧blem

problem m inan (diminutive problemik, related adjective problemowy)

1. problem (a difficulty that has to be resolved or dealt with)

   Synonyms: bajer, (obsolete) problema, zagwozdka

2. problem (a puzzling circumstance)

According to Słownik frekwencyjny polszczyzny współczesnej (1990), problem is one of the most used words in Polish, appearing 43 times in scientific texts, 92 times in news, 153 times in essays, 11 times in fiction, and 9 times in plays, each out of a corpus of 100,000 words, totaling 308 times, making it the 164th most common word in a corpus of 500,000 words.^[4]

• “problem”, in Wielki słownik języka polskiego‎^[5] (in Polish), Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• “problem”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎^[6] (in Polish)
• problem in Narodowy Fotokorpus Języka Polskiego

problem n (plural probleme)

1. alternative form of problemă

• IPA^(key): /prǒbleːm/

pròblēm m inan (Cyrillic spelling про̀бле̄м)

1. problem

• IPA^(key): /prʊˈbleːm/, /prɔ-/, /-ˈblɛːm/
• Hyphenation: pro‧blem

• Audio; “ett problem”:

  (file)

problem n

1. a problem, an issue

   Jag har ett problem

   I have a problem

   Vi lyckades lösa problemet

   We managed to solve the problem

   allvarliga problem

   serious problems

   Våra tekniker arbetar på att lösa problemet

   Our technicians are working on resolving the issue

   1. (in the plural) trouble

      Synonym: (colloquial) trubbel

      Ställ inte till med problem

      Don't cause trouble

   2. (usually in the plural) an issue (mental issue)

      Den där snubben har problem

      That guy has issues

2. a problem (to be solved as schoolwork exercise or the like)

   Synonyms: uppgift, fråga, (math) tal

   schackproblem

   chess problem

• kris
• komplikation
• strul

• “problem”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish)
• “problem”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
• “problem”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)

• plomber

Borrowed from French problème.

• IPA^(key): /pɾob.lɛm/

problem (definite accusative problemi, plural problemler)

1. problem

   Synonym: sorun

• problem olmak
• problemli
• problemlilik
• problemsiz
• problemsizlik

• problematik

• Audio:

  (file)

problem n

1. problem

English problem, ultimately from Ancient Greek πρόβλημα (próblēma).

• (North Wales, standard, colloquial) IPA^(key): /ˈprɔblɛm/
  • (North Wales, colloquial) IPA^(key): /ˈprɔblam/
• (South Wales) IPA^(key): /ˈprɔblɛm/

problem f (plural problemau)

1. problem

• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke, et al., editors (1950–present), “problem”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies