Collocations with the word problem

problem noun

¹ sth that causes difficulties

ADJ. acute, big, enormous, grave, great, serious Our greatest problem is the lack of funds. | little, minor, petty | complex, complicated, difficult, knotty, thorny | growing | basic, central, main, major | common | pressing, urgent | immediate | insoluble, insuperable, insurmountable, intractable Depression is a natural feeling if your problems seem intractable. | long-standing, long-term, perennial | practical | technical | attitude, behavioural, emotional, psychological His teachers say he has an attitude problem. | health, physical, sexual | back, heart, knee | drink, drug | social | housing | economic, financial They sold their car to ease their financial problems. | environmental | legal

VERB + PROBLEM be, pose, present (sb with) Inadequate resources pose a problem for all members of staff. | have | bring, cause, create Success brings its own problems. Staff shortages cause problems for the organization. | be beset with, be confronted by/with, be dogged by, be faced with, be fraught with, confront, encounter, face, run into He has been faced with all manner of problems in his new job. The scheme has been fraught with problems from the start. | raise She raised the problem of falling sales at the last meeting. | identify | consider, debate, discuss, look at/into | address, approach, attack, combat, come/get to grips with, grapple with, handle, tackle The next meeting will address the problem of truancy. | avoid, circumvent, find a way around/round, get around/round | clear up, cure, deal with, overcome, resolve, solve He had to undergo surgery to cure the problem with his knee. | alleviate, ease, reduce | exacerbate | analyse, explore

PROBLEM + VERB arise, come up, occur problems arising from poor ventilation | exist | persist, remain If the problem persists you should see a doctor. The basic problem remains the lack of housing available. | confront sb, face sb | lie in sth The problem lies in the lack of communication between managers and staff.

PROBLEM + NOUN area | child

PREP. ~ about I didn’t imagine there would be a problem about getting tickets. | ~ for The rail strike is a problem for all commuters. | ~ of the problem of poverty | ~ with Have you got a problem with her?

PHRASES an approach to a problem, the crux/heart/root of the problem We need to get to the root of the problem before we can solve it. | a remedy/solution to a problem, the scale of a problem

² question to be solved

ADJ. complicated, difficult | easy, simple | mathematical solving simple mathematical problems

VERB + PROBLEM do, find the answer to, solve I have five problems to do for homework.

PROBLEM + NOUN solving This kind of activity develops the children’s problem-solving skills.

something that causes trouble or difficulty

Adjectives frequently used with problem

serious: acute, big, fundamental, huge, major, real, serious, severe, significant, urgentThe risk of flooding is a major problem in this area.main: central, key, mainI think the main problem is that we have too many overpaid players.not serious: little informal, minor, slight, smallHe had slight problems with some of the hard to pronounce names.difficult: complex, difficult, intractableIn practice, most problems are too complex for this approach.common: common, global, widespreadShrinkage and cracking in concrete flooring is a common problem facing the builder.possible: possible, potentialA fire-detection system will identify and deal with potential problems at a very early stage.not obvious: hidden, underlyingThere may be an underlying problem that is causing your illness or making it worse.types of problem: behavioural, debt, economic, emotional, environmental, financial, health, logistical, mechanical, medical, practical, psychological, social, technical, trafficAny technical problems associated with installing the system should be referred to the technical support unit.continuing for a long time: chronic, long-term, ongoingShe was suffering from chronic health problems.happening at the beginning of something: initial, teethingDespite a number of teething problems, the project was a great success.

Verbs frequently used with problem

cause a problem: cause, create, lead to, result inWater shortages could lead to environmental problems.solve a problem: combat, correct, cure, fix, get around, get over, overcome, rectify, remedy, resolve, solve, sort outViolence should never be an accepted way to solve problems.deal with a problem: address, approach, confront, deal with, handle, respond to, tackle, treatOver the past few years there have been several attempts to tackle these problems.try to solve a very difficult problem: grapple with, struggle with, wrestle withResearchers have been grappling with the problems associated with the collection of accurate data.make a problem worse: add to, compound, contribute to, exacerbate, increaseFlood alleviation works need to be planned carefully to ensure that they do not exacerbate problems elsewhere.make a problem less serious: alleviate, ease, help with, minimise, reduceThis lack of investment in physical activity will do little to alleviate the problems of obesity and poor health.experience a problem: develop, encounter, experience, face, have, run into, suffer (with)If you encounter problems while trying to view the full size images, please read the help page.experience a lot of problems: be beset by, be beset with, be blighted by, be dogged by, be dogged with, be hampered by, be plagued by, be plagued withThe service has been beset by problems and delays.

be a problem: be, become, pose, present, remainInternational operations, on any scale, can present problems.avoid or prevent a problem: avoid, eliminate, guard someone/something against, prevent, protect someone/something againstThe advantage of headsets over conventional speakers is that they eliminate any problem of feedback.find out about a problem: come across, detect, diagnose, discover, identify, spotAny problems were quickly identified.investigate a problem: investigate, look at, look intoCall our helpline and we will look into the problem for you.show that a problem exists: alert someone to, highlight, indicate, point toThis disorder doesn’t generally point to psychological problems.

Verbs that frequently follow problem

happen: arise, emerge, occur, startThe problem arises when plants and animals are introduced to garden ponds that are from a different area.exist or be caused by something: exist, lie, stem fromThe problem lies not with the public but with governments.remain: persist, remainIf the problem persists then please contact us.

Nouns + to frequently used before problem

answer, approach, reaction, remedy, resolution, response, solutionMany ideas have to be considered before a good solution to any problem can be found.

Verbs + as frequently used before problem

identify something, perceive something, regard something, see something, treat something, view somethingAn ageing population should be regarded not as a problem but as an asset.