situation

sit‧u‧a‧tion S1 W1 /ˌsɪtʃuˈeɪʃən/ 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.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

situation

situ·ation [situation situations] [ˌsɪtʃuˈeɪʃn] [ˌsɪtʃuˈeɪʃn] noun
1. all the circumstances and things that are happening at a particular time and in a particular place
• to be in a difficult situation
• You could get into a situation where you have to decide immediately.
• We have all been in similar embarrassing situations.
• the present economic/financial/political, etc. situation
• He could see no way out of the situation.
• In your situation, I would look for another job.
• What we have here is a crisis situation.

• I'm in a no-win situation (= whatever I do will be bad for me).

2. (formal) the kind of area or surroundings that a building or town has

• The town is in a delightful situation in a wide green valley.

3. (old-fashioned or formal) a job
• Situations Vacant (= the title of the section in a newspaper where jobs are advertised)
see save the day/situation at save _v.
Derived Word: situational
Word Origin:
late 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.
Thesaurus:
situation noun C
• Consider the current economic situation.
state of affairs • • position • • conditions • • circumstance • • the case • |informal, especially spoken things •
in (a) particular situation/state of affairs/position/conditions/circumstances
the general/current/present/real situation/state of affairs/position/conditions/circumstances
describe/explain (the) situation/state of affairs/position/circumstances/things
Situation or state of affairs? State of affairs is mostly used with this and with adjectives such as happy, sorry, shocking, present and current
• How did this unhappy state of affairs come about?
Situation is much more frequent and used in a wider variety of contexts.
Synonyms:
situation
circumstances • position • conditions • things • the case • state of affairs
These 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 sb 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 sth happens: ▪ We were forced to work outside in freezing conditions.
circumstances or conditions?
Circumstances refers to sb'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 sb: ▪ 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.
in (a) particular situation/circumstances/position/state of affairs
the/sb's economic/financial/social situation/circumstances/position/conditions
(a/an) happy/unhappy situation/circumstances/position/state of affairs
to look at/review the situation/circumstances/conditions/things
Example Bank:
• 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.
• I was in trouble and I could see no way out of the 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.
• We will deal with that if the situation arises.
• 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.
• learning strategies to cope with difficult situations
• located in a beautiful situation
• the international political situation
• I'm in a no-win situation.
• The town is in a beautiful situation in a wide green valley.
• We couldn't have asked for a more perfect situation.

• You need to consider the present economic situation.

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition

situation / sɪt.jueɪ.ʃ ə n / noun [ C ]

B1 the set of things that are happening and the conditions that exist at a particular time and place:
the economic/political situation
Her news put me in a difficult situation.
"Would you get involved in a fight?" "It would depend on the situation."
I'll worry about it if/when/as the situation arises (= if/when/as it happens) .
old use a job:
My sister has a good situation as a teacher in the local school.
formal the position of something, especially a town, building, etc.:
The house's situation in the river valley is perfect.
Word partners for situation
a situation arises • cope with / deal with / handle a situation • defuse / improve / remedy a situation • complicate / exacerbate a situation • create / lead to a situation • change a situation • a situation deteriorates / improves / worsens • the current / present situation • a difficult / dangerous / intolerable / stressful situation • in a situation

© Cambridge University Press 2013

Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

situation

/sɪtʃueɪʃ(ə)n/
(situations)

Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English.

1.
You use situation to refer generally to what is happening in a particular place at a particular time, or to refer to what is happening to you.
Army officers said the situation was under control...
She’s in a hopeless situation...
N-COUNT: usu with supp, oft poss N

2.
The situation of a building or town is the kind of surroundings that it has. (FORMAL)
The garden is in a beautiful situation on top of a fold in the rolling Hampshire landscape.
= location
N-COUNT: usu supp N

3.
Situations Vacant is the title of a column or page in a newspaper where jobs are advertised. (mainly BRIT; in AM, use Employment)
PHRASE: oft PHR n

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary:

situation

sit·u·a·tion /ˌsɪʧəˈweɪʃən/ noun, pl -tions [count]
1 : all of the facts, conditions, and events that affect someone or something at a particular time and in a particular place
• He's in a bad/difficult/dangerous situation.
• You may find yourself in a situation where you lose control of the vehicle.
• How is your financial situation?
• I'm worried about the current political/economic situation.
• I've been in your situation [=position] before, so I think I can help you.
• My parents are retired and in a good situation.
2 : an important or sudden problem
• I have a situation that I have to deal with at the moment.
3 somewhat formal + old-fashioned : a place or location
• The house is in a wonderful situation overlooking the valley.
4 old-fashioned : job 1
• She found a situation as a governess.