word problem

noun

: a mathematical problem expressed entirely in words typically used as an educational tool

Examples of word problem in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Kyle Orland / Ars Technica A screenshot of a mathematical word problem from GPT-3.5. Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, 8 Dec. 2023 Angry people persisted longer and did better at solving word problems, for instance. Heather Lench, Scientific American, 21 Feb. 2024 Tackling harder math problems A few months before Google published its paper on chain-of-thought prompting, OpenAI released a data set of 8,500 grade-school math word problems (called GSM8K) and a paper describing a new technique for solving them. Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, 8 Dec. 2023 In elementary school, students may have trouble with math functions like addition and subtraction, word problems, counting money, or remembering directions. Jackie Mader, The Christian Science Monitor, 17 Oct. 2023 What’s missing from Younie’s math lesson are the word problems and whiteboards that typically characterize math classes in Oregon elementary schools. oregonlive, 6 Aug. 2023 Giada, one of her twin 10-year-old daughters, has dyslexia and also struggles with math, especially the word problems. Jackie Valley, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 Aug. 2023 Giada, one of her twin 10-year-old daughters, has dyslexia and also struggles with math, especially word problems. By Ariel Gilreath Of The Hechinger Report and Jackie Valley Of The Christian Science Monitor, Dallas News, 29 Aug. 2023 Much of Unit 1 was dedicated to logistics in a crowded country, as students waded through word problems that involved seating large numbers of people on buses, trains, and boats. Peter Hessler, The New Yorker, 26 June 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'word problem.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1903, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of word problem was in 1903

Dictionary Entries Near word problem

Cite this Entry

“Word problem.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/word%20problem. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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