Skip to main content
homework problem

homework problem

1 1.3
A question or exercise the teacher gives students to do at home
  • noun
  • /ˈhoʊmˌwɜrk ˈprɒbləm/
translation icon : problema de tarea
  • They would go through each homework problem with us.
  • working through homework problems

So if you use that word in your homework problems, you will flunk the course.

Examples

  • But here is another simple homework problem or some problem you can find in the textbook.

  • The teacher assigned a challenging homework problem for the students to complete over the weekend.

  • OK, so, right, so this homework problem has two parts.

  • OK, we'll have a homework problem or something on this soon to kind of help you get get straight about this.

  • Only when I went to do the homework problems did I realize that there was much more to the material than I first thought.

    Academic text (1999)
  • Watch a demo, and remember to do all the homework problems 2-3 times, reading why the answer is wrong and right.

    Blog text (32)
  • Students were given the choice of reworking and resubmitting the homework problem.

    Academic text (2000)
  • By working through homework problems, the teachers scrutinize and determine the features and subtleties of the problems to foresee students' possible difficulties.

    Academic text (2005)
  • The teachers are better prepared to proactively comment in class on troublesome homework problems as they are assigned, providing students with the support necessary to complete homework independently.

    Academic text (2005)
  • After class, I struggled with a homework problem that required me to apply what we learned that day.

Synonyms

problem
vshomework problem
637 1.0

A question given to be solved, often in math or a test

is the assigned exercise meant for completion outside classroom time
homework
vshomework problem
543 1.0

Work students do at home to practice what they learn in class

is one specific exercise among those assigned for out-of-class study
preparation
vshomework problem
  • UK
12 1.9

Schoolwork students must do at home before class

is a single exercise given for that out-of-class work rather than all tasks

How Difficult

challenge
3.1
homework problem
1 1.3
walkthrough
  • US
3.0

Surface Forms

Morphology

homework + problem

The meaning 'a problem assigned as homework' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'homework' (tasks done at home) with 'problem' (an exercise or question). This composition follows a straightforward noun-noun modification pattern that is predictable and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand it.

Etymology

The noun homework problem comes from joining homework, meaning 'work done at home', and problem, meaning 'a question to solve'. Imagine a student at the kitchen table solving a math question, and that's why it means 'a problem assigned to do outside class'.