► problem a bad situation or event that is hard to deal with, that is causing harm, or that is stopping you from doing something:
She began to have problems at school after she got sick and missed a lot of classes.Unemployment is a serious problem, and it is getting worse.The computers aren’t working, which is causing a lot of problems.► difficulty a problem that makes it hard to do something, or a situation in which you have problems:
The project ran into difficulties when the government cut its funding.Some of the children have difficulty understanding English. ➔ GRAMMAR: Don’t say: I had a difficulty learning English. Say: I had difficulty learning English or I had difficulties learning English.► trouble trouble means the same as difficulty but sounds more informal:
I have trouble sleeping when it’s this hot.Our troubles began when I lost my job. ➔ GRAMMAR: Don’t use “a” before trouble. Don’t say: I’ve been having a trouble with my car. Say: I’ve been having trouble with my car.► complication another problem that makes something even more difficult to do or deal with:
When we were planning the wedding dinner, one complication was that some of the guests didn’t eat meat.► setback a problem that prevents progress or makes a situation worse than it was:
The Colts suffered a major setback when their star quarterback got injured.► pitfall a problem that is likely to happen in a particular job or activity:
The book helps you avoid some of the pitfalls of buying a used car.► dilemma a situation in which you have to make a difficult choice between two things:
I am in a dilemma about taking the job because it means moving to New York, which I don’t want to do.