What does "issue" mean?

1. (a problem or topic) an important topic or problem that people are thinking and talking about. 2. (magazine edition) one specific version of a newspaper or magazine from a particular day or month. 3. (children/offspring) your children or the people who come after you in your family. 4. (to give out officially) to officially give something to someone, like a passport, a warning, or a statement. 5. (to flow out) to come out of something or flow out from a place.

issue — meaning, definition & examples

Word

01a problem or topic

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun

n. an important topic or problem that people are thinking and talking about.

n. a point or matter in contest between two or more parties; a subject of widespread concern or debate.

“Climate change is one of the most serious issues facing the world today.”

“The candidates spent the majority of the debate addressing economic issues rather than focusing on foreign policy.”

Synonyms

problem matter topic

02magazine edition

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun

n. one specific version of a newspaper or magazine from a particular day or month.

n. a single copy or edition of a periodical publication.

“Have you read the latest issue of the school magazine?”

“The September issue of the journal features a comprehensive review of recent advancements in molecular biology.”

Synonyms

edition copy number

03children/offspring

C2 · Proficiency Uncountable noun Law Formal · Technical

n. your children or the people who come after you in your family.

n. offspring or progeny; often used in legal contexts regarding inheritance.

“The old king died without any issue to take the throne.”

“The will stipulated that the estate should be divided equally among his living issue.”

Synonyms

offspring descendants

Antonyms

ancestors

04to give out officially

B2 · Upper Intermediate

v. to officially give something to someone, like a passport, a warning, or a statement.

v. to produce or provide something officially; to put into circulation.

“The police issued a warning about the heavy snow expected tonight.”

“The department will issue new identification cards to all staff members by the end of the fiscal year.”

Synonyms

release distribute supply

Antonyms

withdraw revoke

05to flow out

C1 · Advanced Literary

v. to come out of something or flow out from a place.

v. to come forth or proceed from a source; to emerge or result from.

“A strange smell started to issue from the old basement.”

“Thick plumes of smoke began to issue from the factory chimneys, obscuring the morning horizon.”

Synonyms

emergeemanateflow

Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “issue” in context.

Verb

01. address issue

“We need to address the issue of late payments immediately.”

verb + noun

Adjective

02. central issue

“The central issue of the debate was how to improve the healthcare system.”

adj + noun

03. complex issue

“Global warming is a complex issue that requires international cooperation.”

adj + noun

04. critical issue

“Water scarcity has become a critical issue in many parts of the world.”

adj + noun

05. issues raised

06. issued a statement

07. issued a tsunami

08. issues like

09. issue facing

10. issued a joint

11. issued arrest

12. issues promptly

From Middle English issue, from Old French issue (“an exit, a way out”), feminine past participle of issir (“to exit”), from Latin exeō (“go out, exit”), from prefix ex- (“out”) + eō (“go”). The legal meaning originated from the concept of "the end or result of pleadings in a suit (by presenting the point to be determined by trial)," leading to the sense of "the controversy over facts in a trial" (early 14th century, Anglo-French). This later extended to mean "a point of contention between two parties" (early 15th century) and more generally, "an important point to be decided" (1836). Consequently, the verbal phrase take issue with emerged in 1797 (preceded by join issue in the 1690s), meaning "to adopt an affirmative or negative stance in a dispute with another." The expression to have issues, meaning "to have unresolved conflicts," dates back to 1990.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

NOUN

issue(B1)

broach brood exit