trouble

1 of 2

noun

trou·​ble ˈtrə-bəl 

plural troubles

1

: the quality or state of being troubled especially mentally

2

: public unrest or disturbance

there's trouble brewing downtown

3

: an instance of trouble

used to disguise her frustrations and despair by making light of her troubles

—Current Biography

4

: a state or condition of distress, annoyance, or difficulty

in trouble with the law

heading for trouble

got into financial trouble

: such as

a

: a condition of physical distress or ill health : ailment

back trouble

heart trouble

b

: a condition of mechanical malfunction

engine trouble

c

: a condition of doing something badly or only with great difficulty

has trouble reading

has trouble breathing

d

dated, informal : the state of being pregnant while unmarried

got a girl in trouble

5

: an effort made : pains

took the trouble to do it right

6

a

: a cause of distress, annoyance, or inconvenience

don't mean to be any trouble

what's the trouble?

b

: a negative feature : drawback

the trouble with you is you're too honest

the main trouble with electronic systems is the overreliance on them

—John Perham

c

: the unhappy or sad fact

the trouble is, I need the money

trouble

2 of 2

verb

troubled; troubling ˈtrə-b(ə-)liŋ 

transitive verb

1

a

: to agitate mentally or spiritually : worry, disturb

b

: to put to exertion or inconvenience

I'm sorry to trouble you

c(1)

: to produce physical disorder in : afflict

troubled by a cold

(2)

archaic : mistreat, oppress

2

: to put into confused motion

the wind troubled the sea

intransitive verb

1

: to become mentally agitated : worry

refused to trouble over trifles

2

: to make an effort : be at pains

did not trouble to come

troubler

ˈtrə-b(ə-)lər 

noun

Synonyms

Noun

• affection
• ail
• ailment
• bug
• complaint
• complication
• condition
• disease
• disorder
• distemper
• distemperature
• fever
• ill
• illness
• infirmity
• malady
• sickness

Verb

• bother
• fear
• fret
• fuss
• stew
• stress
• sweat
• worry

Examples of trouble in a Sentence

Noun

The new system is giving me trouble.

He was having trouble with his homework.

I had a little trouble finding the place.

He had no trouble finding a new job.

gangs looking to make trouble

When the new CEO arrived, the company was in trouble.

She got into trouble with her credit cards.

He's always getting in trouble at school.

She has been having trouble with her knee.

Verb

The accusations troubled him deeply.

I'm troubled by his strange behavior.

I don't mean to trouble you, but I have a question.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Symptoms of bird flu infection in humans include eye redness or discharge, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, diarrhea, vomiting, muscle or body aches, headaches, fatigue, trouble breathing and fever, public health officials said. —Stephanie Innes, The Arizona Republic, 6 Dec. 2024

Hegseth doesn't appear to have the votes in the Senate to get confirmed and his nomination is in trouble, according to two sources close to Trump. —Nick Penzenstadler, USA TODAY, 6 Dec. 2024

Verb

The sector has grown increasingly troubled by violent incidents in recent years — though these episodes typically occur at hospitals or other medical settings. —Nathan Bomey, Axios, 4 Dec. 2024

Six years ago, Pamela and Christian Wilson, troubled by the lack of affordable housing in Baltimore, told me about their dream to build small homes out of cargo containers. —Dan Rodricks, Baltimore Sun, 29 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French trubler, from Vulgar Latin *turbulare, from *turbulus agitated, alteration of Latin turbulentus — more at turbulent

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing trouble

• ask for trouble
• borrow trouble
• foul trouble
• get (someone) out of trouble
• go to trouble
• have trouble sleeping
• keep/stay out of trouble
• look for trouble
• nothing but trouble
• no trouble
• save someone the trouble/bother
• smell trouble
• spell trouble
• take the trouble
• trouble free
• trouble oneself
• trouble spot

Kids Definition

trouble

1 of 2 verb

trou·​ble ˈtrəb-əl 

troubled; troubling ˈtrəb-(ə-)liŋ 

1

a

: to disturb or become disturbed mentally or spiritually : worry

her continued absence troubled him

b

: to produce physical disorder in : afflict

troubled with weak knees

c

: to put to exertion or inconvenience

may I trouble you for the salt

2

: to put into confused motion

wind troubled the sea

3

: to make an effort

do not trouble to come

trouble

2 of 2 noun

1

a

: the quality or state of being troubled : misfortune

help people in trouble

b

: an instance of distress or annoyance

made light of their troubles

2

: disorder or public unrest

labor trouble

3

: a state or condition of distress, annoyance, or difficulty

in big financial trouble

: as

a

: physical distress or ill health : ailment

heart trouble

b

: failure to work properly

engine trouble

c

: a condition of doing something badly or with great difficulty

had trouble reading

4

: an effort made : pains

took the trouble to write

5

a

: a cause of distress, annoyance, or inconvenience

don't mean to be any trouble

b

: a negative feature or characteristic

laziness is your biggest trouble

c

: an unpleasant fact

the trouble is, I'm broke