situation

situation — noun

1. the combination of events and conditions that exist somewhere at a given moment

1.nounB1
Definition

the combination of events and conditions that exist somewhere at a given moment and shape what occurs there

Example

Jisoo found herself in a difficult situation when her car broke down on the motorway.

in + adjective + situation

The company's financial situation has improved since the new director took over.

financial / economic / political + situation

Common collocations
  • difficult situation
  • financial situation
  • political situation
  • current situation
  • whole situation
  • explain the situation
  • handle the situation
  • assess the situation
  • improve the situation
Synonyms
  • circumstances

    refers to the conditions affecting a situation, often used in plural

  • state of affairs

    more formal; describes how things are at a particular time

  • conditions

    focuses on the physical or practical factors rather than the whole picture

Grammar Patterns

the + adj + situation

in + adj + situation

Usage Note

This is the most common meaning of situation. It can describe personal circumstances (difficult situation), broad conditions (economic situation), or a set of events that need a response (political situation).

Common Mistakes

The weather situation is bad today.
The weather is bad today.
'situation' adds no useful information when describing simple daily conditions like weather.
I am in a situation where I need to go to the shop.
I need to go to the shop.
Use 'situation' only when there is a real combination of factors worth describing, not for routine actions.

2. a paid position within a company or organization that someone fills as their job

2.nounB2
Definition

a paid position within a company or organization that someone fills as their job

Example

Christopher is looking for a new situation in the publishing industry.

situation = job (formal, chiefly British)

The newspaper listed several situations vacant at the local hospital.

situations vacant = jobs available

Common collocations
  • situations vacant
  • new situation
  • find a situation
Synonyms
  • job

    the everyday word; neutral in register

  • position

    similar formal level to 'situation', but more common today

  • post

    especially used for official or appointed roles

Grammar Patterns

situation + as + noun

situation + in + noun

Usage Note

This sense is formal and somewhat dated. It survives most commonly in the fixed phrase situations vacant, used as a heading for job advertisements in newspapers.

Common Mistakes

I got a new situation at the supermarket.
I got a new job at the supermarket.
'situation' sounds strange and overly formal for ordinary work; use 'job' instead.

3. the physical place where a building, town, or similar structure stands, especial

3.nounB2
Definition

the physical place where a building, town, or similar structure stands, especially when considering the area nearby

Example

The hotel sits in a beautiful situation on a hill overlooking the coast.

beautiful / pleasant + situation (location sense)

Dahlia chose that plot of land because she loved the quiet situation away from the main road.

Common collocations
  • beautiful situation
  • pleasant situation
  • quiet situation
  • situation of the + noun
Synonyms
  • location

    the everyday word; the most common choice today

  • position

    neutral; can refer to exact spot or relative placement

  • site

    often used for the specific ground or area where something is built

Grammar Patterns

in + adj + situation

Usage Note

This sense is more formal than location or position. It is most often used in descriptions of buildings, towns, or geographical features when the writer wants to emphasise how the place relates to its surroundings.

Idioms

save the situation

idiom

to prevent a difficult or dangerous situation from ending badly, especially when failure seems certain

The power went out an hour before the show, but the generator saved the situation.

Jabari forgot the printed report, but Madison saved the situation by sharing the file from her tablet.

save the day/situation

idiom

To stop something from failing or being ruined when it looked like it would definitely fail.

Maya's quick thinking saved the day when the projector broke.

Did the backup generator save the situation during the blackout?

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Situation, circumstances, conditions, and state of affairs all refer to what is happening around someone, but they differ in scope and emphasis. Situation is the broadest word — it covers the whole set of events and factors at a given time and place ("the political situation in the country"). Circumstances is more personal and refers to the specific factors that affect a person's life or a particular event ("due to circumstances beyond our control"). Conditions points to the physical or practical environment — temperature, safety, resources ("working conditions were poor"). State of affairs is more formal and judgmental, often used to express an opinion about how things are ("this is an alarming state of affairs"). Choose situation for the general picture, circumstances for background factors, conditions for practical environment, and state of affairs when making an evaluation.

situation ↗circumstancesconditionsstate of affairs

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • in a situation
  • out of a situation
  • deal with the situation

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Situation came into English from French, which borrowed it from Latin. The Latin word situatio meant 'a position or place', from situs meaning 'place, position, site'. Over time the meaning expanded from a physical position to include the broader idea of 'the position of affairs' — that is, the overall set of circumstances someone finds themselves in. The job-related sense grew out of this idea of one's 'position' in a workplace hierarchy.