The AI-powered English dictionary
plural situations
The combination of circumstances at a given moment; a state of affairs. quotations examples
Then we relapsed into a discomfited silence, and wished we were anywhere else. But Miss Thorn relieved the situation by laughing aloud, and with such a hearty enjoyment that instead of getting angry and more mortified we began to laugh ourselves, and instantly felt better.
1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter V, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd.
The way in which something is positioned vis-à-vis its surroundings. quotations examples
[…] he being naturally an underground animal by birth and breeding, the situation of Badger's house exactly suited him and made him feel at home; while the Rat, who slept every night in a bedroom the windows of which opened on a breezy river, naturally felt the atmosphere still and oppressive.
1908 October, Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons
The place in which something is situated; a location. quotations examples
[Hibíscus] speciòsus is the most splendid, and deserves a situation in every garden.
1833, Thomas Hibbert, Robert Buist, The American Flower Garden Directory, page 142
Position or status with regard to conditions and circumstances. examples
(UK) A position of employment; a post. quotations examples
‘Let me hear another sound from you,’ said Scrooge, ‘and you’ll keep your Christmas by losing your situation!
1843, Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
When he was nineteen, he suddenly left the 'Co-op' office, and got a situation in Nottingham.
1913, D[avid] H[erbert] Lawrence, “Chapter 3”, in Sons and Lovers, London: Duckworth & Co. […]
You take a morning paper from the top of the stackAnd read the situations from the front to the backThe only job that's open need a man with a knackSo put it right back in the rack Jack.
1946, Vaughn Horton, Denver Darling, Milt Gabler, Choo Choo Ch'Boogie
A difficult or unpleasant set of circumstances; a problem. examples
(US, film industry) An individual movie theater. quotations examples
This survey includes all key situations (including Paramount Gulf Theaters) as well as suburban runs and small-town situations.
1950, United States. Congress. House. Committee on Ways and Means, Revenue Revision of 1950: Hearings Before the Committee, page 1805
[…] Craterian theatre, with a full-scale advance campaign and preliminary screenings held for opinion-makers. Results and reactions will be closely studied and, if popular, the idea will be extended to other situations.
1960, Motion Picture Herald, volumes 218-219, page 14
(slang) An outfit, garment, or look.