Meaning of Idiom ‘No Problem’
No problem is one of the several idiomatic responses and to Thank you, used as an alternative to the standard You’re welcome.
Saying no problem when someone says thank you means it caused me no problem. This is a way of saying that helping was no trouble or required little effort. A variation of this expression is it was no trouble.1
Also see no sweat.
Examples Of Use
“Thanks for picking up lunch for me,” said Sarah. “No problem,” said Don.
“I really appreciate your taking the time to meet with me on such short notice,” said Ms. Tanner. “Hey, no problem,” said Rachael.
Origin
Used as a thank you response since around 1960. 2
The following video covers eight standard English idiom responses to thank you.
More Idioms Starting with N
More ‘No’ Idioms
More Problem Idioms
More Thank You Responses
- Sure (Thank You Response)
- No Sweat (Thank You Response)
- My Pleasure, it was (Thank You Response)
- Don’t Mention It (Thank You Response)
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References- Brenner, Gail Abel. Webster’s New World American Idioms Handbook. Wiley, 2003.
- Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.