dif‧fi‧cul‧ty S2 W1 / dɪfɪk ə lti / 名词 ( 复数形式 difficulties )
1 [不可数名词] if you have difficulty doing something, it is difficult for you to do
have/experience difficulty (in) doing something
They had great difficulty in finding a replacement.
with/without difficulty
He got to his feet with difficulty. ► Do not say that someone ‘has difficulty to do something’. Say that someone has difficulty doing something or has difficulty in doing something .
2 [可数名词，通常复数] a problem or something that causes trouble
difficulty with
There are several difficulties with this theory.
If you have any difficulties, give me a call.
The project soon ran into difficulties.
Difficulties can arise when there is more than one defendant.
3 [不可数名词] if you are in difficulty, you are in a situation in which you have problems
in difficulty
The business is in financial difficulty.
get/run into difficulty (= get into a difficult situation )
She soon got into difficulty with debt.
4 [不可数名词] the quality of being difficult to do
the difficulty of (doing) something
the difficulty of solving such problems
5 [不可数名词] how difficult something is :
The tests vary in difficulty.
→ learning difficulties
COLLOCATIONS
动词
have difficulties By the age of eight, Robbie was having difficulties at school.
run into/get into difficulties (= find yourself in a difficult situation ) Three people were rescued from a boat that had got into difficulties.
experience/encounter difficulties formal (= have difficulties ) Graduates often experience considerable difficulties in getting their first job.
face difficulties The hotel’s owners were facing financial difficulties.
overcome/resolve difficulties (= deal with them successfully ) We are confident that we can overcome these difficulties.
present/pose difficulties formal (= be something that is difficult to deal with ) English spelling may present some difficulties for learners.
be fraught with difficulties (= involve a lot of them ) The whole plan was fraught with difficulties.
cause/lead to difficulties Stress and worry both cause sleep difficulties.
give rise to difficulties formal (= cause them ) The stormy weather gave rise to difficulties for many of the competitors in the yacht race.
difficulties arise (= happen ) It’s best to discuss any difficulties that arise rather than trying to deal with them alone.
形容词
major/serious/severe difficulties By then, we were having serious financial difficulties.
considerable difficulties (= a lot of problems ) They had considerable difficulties in getting funding for their research.
technical difficulties The flight was delayed due to technical difficulties.
practical difficulties (= problems with doing something ) It’s a great idea, but there will be a number of practical difficulties.
financial/economic difficulties The company is facing serious financial difficulties.
breathing difficulties She was taken to hospital with breathing difficulties.
marital difficulties (= in a marriage ) You may need help in dealing with your marital difficulties.