situation
noun OPAL WOPAL S
/ˌsɪtʃuˈeɪʃn/
/ˌsɪtʃuˈeɪʃn/
Idioms - 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 situationsituation- circumstances
- position
- conditions
- things
- the case
- state of affairs
- 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.
- 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?
- 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.
- (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.
- (old-fashioned or formal) a job
- Situations Vacant (= the title of the section in a newspaper where jobs are advertised)
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
- to prevent failure or defeat, when this seems certain to happen
- Salah's late goal saved the situation for Liverpool.