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Definition of situation noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

situation

noun
 OPAL WOPAL S
 
/ˌsɪtʃuˈeɪʃn/
 
/ˌsɪtʃuˈeɪʃn/
Idioms
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  1.  
     all the circumstances and things that are happening at a particular time and in a particular place
    • the present economic/financial/political situation
    • There is no doubt that the current situation is very serious.
    • People are fed up with the present situation.
    • in a situation We are now in a difficult situation.
    • What would you do in this situation?
    • We have all been in similar embarrassing situations.
    • I'm in a no-win situation (= whatever I do will be bad for me).
    • This is a win-win situation all around.
    • situation where/in which… You could get into a situation where you have to decide immediately.
    • in somebody's situation In your situation, I would look for another job.
    • He could see no way out of the situation.
    • I thought she handled the situation well.
    • Our staff are trained to deal with these situations.
    • What can we do to improve the situation?
    • We will be monitoring the situation closely.
    • The failure of the talks created a dangerous situation in the region.
    • If this situation arises again, we will know what to do.
    • (especially North American English, informal) We've got a situation (= a problem, a difficulty) here.
    Synonyms situationsituationcircumstances ▪ position ▪ conditions ▪ things ▪ the case ▪ state of affairsThese are all words for the conditions and facts that are connected with and affect the way things are.situation all the things that are happening at a particular time and in a particular place:
    • the present economic situation
    circumstances the facts that are connected with and affect a situation, an event or an action; the conditions of a person’s life, especially the money they have:
    • The ship sank in mysterious circumstances.
    position the situation that somebody is in, especially when it affects what they can and cannot do:
    • She felt she was in a position of power.
    conditions the circumstances in which people live, work or do things; the physical situation that affects how something happens:
    • We were forced to work outside in freezing conditions.
     circumstances or conditions?Circumstances refers to somebody’s financial situation; conditions are things such as the quality and amount of food or shelter they have. The circumstances that affect an event are the facts surrounding it; the conditions that affect it are usually physical ones, such as the weather.things (rather informal) the general situation, as it affects somebody:
    • Hi, Jane! How are things?
    • Think things over before you decide.
    the case the true situation:
    • If that is the case (= if the situation described is true), we need more staff.
    state of affairs a situation:
    • How did this unhappy state of affairs come about?
     situation or state of affairs?State of affairs is mostly used with this. It is also used with adjectives describing how good or bad a situation is, such as happy, sorry, shocking, sad and unhappy, as well as those relating to time, such as present and current. Situation is much more frequent and is used in a wider variety of contexts.Patterns
    • in (a) particular situation/​circumstances/​position/​state of affairs
    • the/​somebody’s economic/​financial/​social situation/​circumstances/​position/​conditions
    • (a/​an) happy/​unhappy situation/​circumstances/​position/​state of affairs
    • to look at/​review the situation/​the circumstances/​the conditions/​things
    Extra Examples
    • What we have here is a crisis situation.
    • Given the gravity of the situation, I'm not surprised she's panicking.
    • He saw she was confused and he took full advantage of the situation.
    • I always seem to get into sticky situations on holiday.
    • I found myself in rather an awkward situation.
    • Interfering now would only exacerbate the situation.
    • She found it difficult to take in the situation.
    • She tried her best to salvage the situation.
    • She was forced to confront the reality of the situation.
    • The peacekeepers are trained to defuse potentially explosive situations.
    • The situation is deteriorating rapidly.
    • The situation requires immediate action.
    • We were placed in a hopeless situation.
    • What would the Republicans be doing if the situation were reversed?
    • What would you do in this situation?
    • You can adapt your knowledge to fit your particular situation.
  2. (formal) the kind of location that a building or town has
    • The town is in a delightful situation in a wide green valley.
    Extra Examples
    • The cottage is located in a beautiful situation.
    • We couldn't have asked for a more perfect situation.
  3. (old-fashioned or formal) a job
    • Situations Vacant (= the title of the section in a newspaper where jobs are advertised)
    4. Word Originlate Middle English (in sense (2)): from French, or from medieval Latin situatio(n-), from situare ‘to place’ (see situate). Sense 1 dates from the early 18th cent.
Idioms
save the day/situation
  1. to prevent failure or defeat, when this seems certain to happen
    • Salah's late goal saved the situation for Liverpool.
    Topics Successc2
See situation in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee situation in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
Check pronunciation: situation

Nearby words

pepper
noun
 
 
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