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Synonyms

issue

American  
[ish-oo, is-yoo] / ˈɪʃ u, ˈɪs ju /

noun

issues plural
  1. the act of sending out or putting forth; promulgation; distribution.

    the issue of food and blankets to flood victims.

  2. something that is printed or published and distributed, especially a given number of a periodical.

    Have you seen the latest issue of the magazine?

    Synonyms:
    printing, edition
  3. something that is sent out or put forth in any form.

  4. a quantity of something that is officially offered for sale or put into circulation at one time.

    a new issue of commemorative stamps;

    a new bond issue.

  5. a point in question or a matter that is in dispute, as between contending parties in an action at law.

    Synonyms:
    crux
  6. a point, matter, or dispute, the decision of which is of special or public importance.

    the political issues.

    Synonyms:
    question, problem
  7. a point, the decision of which determines a matter.

    The real issue in the strike was the right to bargain collectively.

    Synonyms:
    question, problem, crux
  8. a point at which a matter is ready for decision.

    to bring a case to an issue.

  9. something proceeding from any source, as a product, effect, result, or consequence.

    His words were the issue of an intelligent man.

  10. Often issues

    1. a personal or emotional problem.

      I had issues that prevented me from doing well in school.

    2. any problem or difficulty.

      Sorry I'm late—I had an issue with parking.

  11. the ultimate result, event, or outcome of a proceeding, affair, etc..

    the issue of a contest.

    Synonyms:
    end, conclusion, upshot
  12. a distribution of food rations, clothing, equipment, or ammunition to a number of officers or enlisted soldiers, or to a military unit.

  13. offspring; progeny.

    to die without issue.

  14. a going, coming, passing, or flowing out.

    free issue and entry.

  15. a place or means of egress; outlet or exit.

  16. something that comes out, as an outflowing stream.

  17. Pathology.

    1. a discharge of blood, pus, or the like.

    2. an incision, ulcer, or the like, emitting such a discharge.

  18. English Law. issues, the profits from land or other property.

  19. the printing of copies of a work from the original setting of type with some slight changes.

    the third issue of the poem.

  20. Obsolete. a proceeding or action.


verb (used with object)

issues, present (3rd person singular) issued, past participle, past issuing present participle
  1. to put out; deliver for use, sale, etc.; put into circulation.

  2. to mint, print, or publish for sale or distribution.

    to issue a new coin;

    to issue a reprint of a book.

  3. to give or grant officially to a particular person or group.

    The United States is the first country to issue a patent for an animal developed using biological techniques.

  4. to distribute (food, clothing, equipment, etc.) to members of the military, employees, students, etc.

  5. to send out; discharge; emit.

verb (used without object)

issues, present (3rd person singular) issued, past participle, past issuing present participle
  1. to go, pass, or flow out; come forth; emerge.

    to issue forth to battle.

    Antonyms:
    return
  2. to be sent, put forth, or distributed authoritatively or publicly, as a legal writ or money.

  3. to be published, as a book.

  4. to originate or proceed from any source.

    Synonyms:
    spring, arise, emanate, flow
  5. to arise as a result or consequence; result.

    a reaction that issues from the stimulus.

    Synonyms:
    ensue
  6. Chiefly Law. to proceed as offspring, or be born or descended.

  7. Chiefly Law. to come as a yield or profit, as from land.

  8. Archaic. to have the specified outcome, result, etc. (often followed byin ).

  9. Obsolete. to end; terminate.

idioms

  1. at issue,

    1. being disputed or under discussion.

    2. being at opposite viewpoints; in disagreement.

      Medical experts are still at issue over the proper use of tranquilizers.

  2. join issue,

    1. to enter into controversy or take exception to.

    2. to submit an issue jointly for legal decision.

  3. take issue, to disagree; dispute.

    He took issue with me on my proposal for a new advertising campaign.

issue British  
/ ˈɪʃuː, ˈɪsjuː /

noun

  1. the act of sending or giving out something; supply; delivery

  2. something issued; an edition of stamps, a magazine, etc

  3. the number of identical items, such as banknotes or shares in a company, that become available at a particular time

  4. the act of emerging; outflow; discharge

  5. something flowing out, such as a river

  6. a place of outflow; outlet

  7. the descendants of a person; offspring; progeny

  8. a topic of interest or discussion

  9. an important subject requiring a decision

  10. an outcome or consequence; result

  11. pathol

    1. a suppurating sore

    2. discharge from a wound

  12. law the matter remaining in dispute between the parties to an action after the pleadings

  13. the yield from or profits arising out of land or other property

  14. military the allocation of items of government stores, such as food, clothing, and ammunition

  15. library science

    1. the system for recording current loans

    2. the number of books loaned in a specified period

  16. obsolete an act, deed, or proceeding

    1. under discussion

    2. in disagreement

  17. to compel decision on some matter

    1. to join in controversy

    2. to submit an issue for adjudication

  18. to disagree

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to come forth or emerge or cause to come forth or emerge

  2. to publish or deliver (a newspaper, magazine, etc)

  3. (tr) to make known or announce

  4. (intr) to originate or proceed

  5. (intr) to be a consequence; result

  6. to end or terminate

  7. (tr)

    1. to give out or allocate (equipment, a certificate, etc) officially to someone

    2. (foll by with) to supply officially (with)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
issue More Idioms  

Usage

What are other ways to say issue? To issue is to go, pass, or flow out. How is issue different from emanate and emerge? Find out on Thesaurus.com.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of issue

First recorded in 1275–1325; from Middle English, from Middle French: “place or passage out”; from Old French (e)issue, from unattested Vulgar Latin exūta, noun use of feminine of unattested exūtus, Latin exitus “act or means of going out,” for the noun senses; from Middle English issuen, derivative of the noun, or from Middle French, Old French (e)issu, past participle of issir “to go out” (ultimately derived from Latin exīre ) for the verb senses; see exit 1

Explanation

One copy of "Celebrities are Cool" magazine is an issue. It is issued, or put out, by the publisher. You and your mother may argue over the issue, or topic, of whether or not you should read it. The original meaning of the word issue was to put something out. If a celebrity issues a statement or the post office issues new stamps, they put them out for the public. Likewise, an issue is a current topic, sometimes controversial, that is being discussed. Politicians often say they want to talk about the issues (and not their personal lives!). You might hear someone say, "He's got issues" about a person who has some problems, usually emotional ones, but this is a very new use for the word.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing issue

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

On Thursday, Modi made a flurry of public remarks on the issue.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 24, 2026

Retention of messages has also been an issue in the federal government, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio setting some of his Signal chats to auto-delete.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 24, 2026

He added: "We were able to partner with the bourbon industry in the United States, raise the issue with President Trump in the Oval Office, and get this issue on his agenda."

From BBC Jul. 24, 2026

“Friends, I know that paper leak isn’t a minor issue; it’s very painful for millions of students and their guardians,” he said in a separate video.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 24, 2026

Money was always an issue for her though, and she couldn’t afford to enroll him in a school that demanded tuition.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

They suffer unexpected and debilitating health events, often through no fault of their own, and end up under a mountain of medical bills — health-related issues are still the No. 1 cause of bankruptcy.

From MarketWatch Jul. 23, 2026

In a statement, Lieu also cited Anthropic, OpenAI's key rival in developing more capable AI technology and tools, and recent issues its tools have presented.

From BBC Jul. 23, 2026

According to preliminary data, there were 759 advancing issues and 1995 declining issues on the NYSE.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 23, 2026

"Adult gaming centres on high streets can often bring real harm to communities," Burnham said, adding that vape shops "don't add much to community life and cause other issues too".

From Barron's Jul. 23, 2026

When issues arose, the cabinet departments handled them without the president's input.

From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow

New South Wales state police said Volpato was issued an infringement notice for excess speed, while his international driver's licence was suspended for six months - which means he cannot drive in New South Wales.

From BBC Jul. 24, 2026

Katherine’s family issued a statement expressing their heartbreak over her death.

From MarketWatch Jul. 24, 2026

By comparison, 3,500 such permits were issued in total between 2012 and 2020.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 23, 2026

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in Santa Clarita has issued a warning on Facebook that the latest nationwide TikTok social media challenge has begun to hit close to home.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 23, 2026

The New York Times even issued an open plea urging Fischer to continue his challenge.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

An officer reviews the footage before issuing a flat-rated $93 citation, which is sent to the registered owner of the offending vehicle.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 23, 2026

He also denied issuing an ultimatum, saying he was focused on winning the war.

From Barron's Jul. 20, 2026

Weir and a small crew are sent on a recovery mission after the lost spaceship, the Event Horizon, suddenly reappears in orbit around Neptune, issuing a distress signal.

From Salon Jul. 17, 2026

Some have suggested, external this could be paid for by the Treasury issuing special "war bonds", to avoid the need to raise taxes or cut spending elsewhere.

From BBC Jul. 17, 2026

“Our little convention seems to be getting rather unwieldy,” Ignatius said of the mad noises issuing from Dorian’s apartment.

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

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