SITUATION


Meaning of SITUATION in English

sit ‧ u ‧ a ‧ tion S1 W1 /ˌsɪtʃuˈeɪʃ ə n/ BrE AmE noun [countable]

1 . a combination of all the things that are happening and all the conditions that exist at a particular time in a particular place:

I explained the situation to everyone.

in a ... situation

She coped well in a very difficult situation.

2 . the type of area where a building is situated – used especially by people who sell or advertise buildings SYN location :

The house is in a charming situation, on a wooded hillside.

3 . old-fashioned a job:

She managed to get a situation as a parlour maid.

• • •

COLLOCATIONS

■ verbs

▪ create a situation (=cause it to happen)

Tom’s arrival created an awkward situation.

▪ assess/review a situation

Ballater was trying to assess the situation objectively.

▪ monitor a situation (=watch to see how it develops)

The bank is monitoring the situation closely.

▪ deal with a situation

He had no idea how to deal with the situation.

▪ improve/remedy a situation

They are doing what they can to improve the situation.

▪ defuse the situation (=make people less angry)

She’d just been trying to calm Gerry down and defuse the situation.

▪ a situation arises formal (=it happens)

This situation has arisen as a result of a serious staff shortage.

▪ a situation comes about (=it happens)

I don’t know how this situation has come about.

▪ a situation changes

The situation could change very rapidly.

▪ a situation improves

The situation has improved over the last decade.

▪ a situation worsens/deteriorates/gets worse

Reports from the area suggest the situation has worsened.

■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + situation

▪ difficult/tricky

This book will show you how to deal with difficult situations.

▪ impossible (=very difficult)

I was in an impossible situation.

▪ dangerous

The situation was becoming increasingly dangerous.

▪ the present/current situation

The present situation in Afghanistan is very worrying.

▪ the economic/political situation

The country’s economic situation continued to deteriorate.

▪ the security situation (=how safe a place is)

Until the security situation improves, it is far too dangerous for staff to work there.

▪ sb’s financial situation (=how much money someone has)

What is your current financial situation?

▪ a social situation (=a situation in which someone is with other people)

He felt uncomfortable in social situations.

▪ a work situation (=a situation at work)

These problems often arise in work situations.

▪ a no-win situation (=one in which there will be a bad result whatever happens)

It’s a no-win situation.

▪ a win-win situation (=one in which everyone gets what they want)

Shorter work weeks are a win-win situation for both the employee and employer.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.      Longman - Словарь современного английского языка.