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Definition of "problem" []

  • A question to be considered, solved, or answered: math problems; the problem of how to arrange transportation. (noun)
  • A situation, matter, or person that presents perplexity or difficulty: was having problems breathing; considered the main problem to be his boss. See Usage Note at dilemma. (noun)
  • A misgiving, objection, or complaint: I have a problem with his cynicism. (noun)
  • Difficult to deal with or control: a problem child. (adjective)
  • Dealing with a moral or social problem: a problem play. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "problem" in a sentence
  • "VIEW FAVORITES yahooBuzzArticleHeadline = 'Bush and Blair, Joined at the Hip, Sinking Together'; yahooBuzzArticleSummary = '"Never in modern history has the solution to one problem resulted in the creation of so many larger problems, especially since the initial \'problem\', Saddam Hussein\'s weapons of mass destruction, turned out to be non-existent, "writes Rupert Cornwell in London\'s The Independent. '"
  • "The most influential arguments against the view that there is a genuine problem of transworld identity (or ˜problem of transworld identification™, to use Kripke's preferred terminology) are probably those presented by Plantinga (1973, 1974) and Kripke (1980)."
  • "One metaphysical problem concerns how change is possible (this has recently become known as the ˜problem of temporary intrinsics™)."