troubleshoot

verb

trou·​ble·​shoot ˈtrə-bəl-ˌshüt 

troubleshot ˈtrə-bəl-ˌshät  ; troubleshooting

intransitive verb

: to operate or serve as a troubleshooter

is troubleshooting for an electronics firm

transitive verb

: to investigate or deal with in the role of troubleshooter

troubleshoots computer problems

troubleshoot a problem

Examples of troubleshoot in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

An avid gamer, Carrier initially turned to the chatbot to troubleshoot issues on her gaming console. —Lauren Fichten, CBS News, 11 June 2026

The maintenance worker followed Brady’s order, and drove to his home to troubleshoot his heating system during work hours. —Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 10 June 2026

As a result, most users do not need to troubleshoot this manually. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 8 June 2026

While trying to troubleshoot MAVEN’s condition, NASA had to work around some inconvenient celestial geometry in the form of the latest Mars solar conjunction. —Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 3 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

back-formation from troubleshooter

First Known Use

1918, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Rhymes for troubleshoot

• absolute
• arrowroot
• attribute
• bitterroot
• constitute
• convolute
• destitute
• disrepute
• dissolute
• execute
• institute
• involute

Kids Definition

troubleshoot

verb

trou·​ble·​shoot ˈtrəb-əl-ˌshüt 

troubleshot -ˌshät  ; troubleshooting

1

: to locate trouble and make repairs (as in machinery)

2

: to find a solution to a problem or disagreement