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
Synonyms
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 WebHouston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
One of the elder members appears to be in charge of testing the local berries and mushrooms for possible toxins—an alluring, comically cartoonish red-and-white toadstool ultimately leads to trouble.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 12 Apr. 2024
Melrose Place is getting the reboot treatment again, but this time with original stars Heather Locklear, Daphne Zuniga, and Laura Leighton returning to stir up trouble.
—Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 11 Apr. 2024
Both companies said inflation and shoplifting have contributed to their troubles.
—Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 11 Apr. 2024
An IndyStar investigation in 2022 found that financial troubles in the city agency led to understaffing of maintenance workers and thousands of unanswered emergency work orders.
—John Tuohy, The Indianapolis Star, 10 Apr. 2024
Anyone doubting that the German economy is in trouble has not been paying attention to the fact that last year Germany ...
—Desmond Lachman, National Review, 10 Apr. 2024
These were often bootlegs, copied from foreign home-video releases or tapes that his employees procured at film festivals, and Kim faced persistent legal troubles as a result.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 10 Apr. 2024
Because of engine trouble, the bus didn't make it to its Tallahassee stop.
—Regan McCarthy, NPR, 31 Mar. 2024
Lisa Shah, STAT, 28 Mar. 2024
But this isn’t the only problem that’s troubled the probe.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 26 Mar. 2024
Witnessing someone being taken advantage of in this manner troubles me deeply.
—Harriette Cole, The Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2024
That should trouble you Gov. Katie Hobbs may have painted herself into a University of Arizona corner
Hobbs ended 2023 with a record 143 vetoes.
—Stacey Barchenger, The Arizona Republic, 4 Mar. 2024
Medeiros, who was a child when his family emigrated to the U.S. from the Azores, said these days he’s troubled by liberal attitudes around homelessness.
—Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2024
Assemblymember Alex Lee, who authored California’s legislation, said he was troubled by the fact that his state’s traffic fatalities were even higher than the national average, with around 1,100 pedestrians killed in both 2021 and 2022.
—Jeff McMurray, Fortune, 2 Mar. 2024
Targeting for-profit colleges and lenders, Chopra said he was troubled by an increasingly corporate higher-education system that was turning millions of students into debtors.
—Noam Levey, NPR, 1 Mar. 2024
As the mother of a high school student and a toddler, Ms. Richardson says she was troubled by the circumstances surrounding Nex’s death.
—Jackie Valley, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 Feb. 2024
Noun
Shohei Ohtani’s ex-interpreter charged with stealing $16 million from Dodgers star
Is Shohei Ohtani still in trouble?
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
One of the elder members appears to be in charge of testing the local berries and mushrooms for possible toxins—an alluring, comically cartoonish red-and-white toadstool ultimately leads to trouble.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 12 Apr. 2024
Melrose Place is getting the reboot treatment again, but this time with original stars Heather Locklear, Daphne Zuniga, and Laura Leighton returning to stir up trouble.
—Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 11 Apr. 2024
Both companies said inflation and shoplifting have contributed to their troubles.
—Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 11 Apr. 2024
An IndyStar investigation in 2022 found that financial troubles in the city agency led to understaffing of maintenance workers and thousands of unanswered emergency work orders.
—John Tuohy, The Indianapolis Star, 10 Apr. 2024
Anyone doubting that the German economy is in trouble has not been paying attention to the fact that last year Germany ...
—Desmond Lachman, National Review, 10 Apr. 2024
These were often bootlegs, copied from foreign home-video releases or tapes that his employees procured at film festivals, and Kim faced persistent legal troubles as a result.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 10 Apr. 2024
Because of engine trouble, the bus didn't make it to its Tallahassee stop.
—Regan McCarthy, NPR, 31 Mar. 2024
Verb
As a physician focused on obesity and metabolic disorders, I was troubled by Oprah’s support for these drugs.
—Lisa Shah, STAT, 28 Mar. 2024
But this isn’t the only problem that’s troubled the probe.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 26 Mar. 2024
Witnessing someone being taken advantage of in this manner troubles me deeply.
—Harriette Cole, The Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2024
That should trouble you Gov. Katie Hobbs may have painted herself into a University of Arizona corner
Hobbs ended 2023 with a record 143 vetoes.
—Stacey Barchenger, The Arizona Republic, 4 Mar. 2024
Medeiros, who was a child when his family emigrated to the U.S. from the Azores, said these days he’s troubled by liberal attitudes around homelessness.
—Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2024
Assemblymember Alex Lee, who authored California’s legislation, said he was troubled by the fact that his state’s traffic fatalities were even higher than the national average, with around 1,100 pedestrians killed in both 2021 and 2022.
—Jeff McMurray, Fortune, 2 Mar. 2024
Targeting for-profit colleges and lenders, Chopra said he was troubled by an increasingly corporate higher-education system that was turning millions of students into debtors.
—Noam Levey, NPR, 1 Mar. 2024
As the mother of a high school student and a toddler, Ms. Richardson says she was troubled by the circumstances surrounding Nex’s death.
—Jackie Valley, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'trouble.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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
Time Traveler
The first known use of trouble was
in the 13th century
Phrases Containing trouble
Dictionary Entries Near trouble
Cite this Entry
“Trouble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trouble. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids 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
More from Merriam-Webster on trouble
Nglish: Translation of trouble for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of trouble for Arabic Speakers
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