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
Current Biography4
: 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
John Perham
c
: the unhappy or sad fact
the trouble is, I need the money
troubled; troubling
ˈtrə-b(ə-)liŋ 
1
2
: to put into confused motion
the wind troubled the sea
1
: to become mentally agitated : worry
refused to trouble over trifles
2
: to make an effort : be at pains
did not trouble to come
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
La Risa R. Lynch, jsonline.com, 25 Oct. 2025
In season 2, Meester joins Nobody Wants This to stir up trouble as Joanne’s middle school rival and Instagram mom-fluencer Abby.
—Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025
Air Mail, 25 Oct. 2025
That last hurdle, safely landing a SpaceX Starship HLS (Human Landing System) spacecraft, carrying two astronauts, upright on the moon, particularly troubles Green.
—Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for trouble
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Stacia Thompson is out as president and CEO of Sherman Phoenix Foundation after nearly two years in the post amid signs of financial trouble at the nonprofit organization.
—La Risa R. Lynch, jsonline.com, 25 Oct. 2025
In season 2, Meester joins Nobody Wants This to stir up trouble as Joanne’s middle school rival and Instagram mom-fluencer Abby.
—Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025
Verb
But people all over the country are increasingly troubled by our government’s lack of fairness and due process and want to do something about it.
—Air Mail, 25 Oct. 2025
That last hurdle, safely landing a SpaceX Starship HLS (Human Landing System) spacecraft, carrying two astronauts, upright on the moon, particularly troubles Green.
—Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for trouble
Cite this Entry
“Trouble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trouble. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
trouble
1 of 2 verb
trou·ble
ˈtrəb-əl
troubled; troubling
ˈtrəb-(ə-)liŋ
1
2
: to put into confused motion
wind troubled the sea
3
: to make an effort
do not trouble to come
trouble
2 of 2 noun1
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share