plural troubles
1
: the quality or state of being troubled especially mentally
2
: public unrest or disturbance
groups looking to cause/make trouble
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 that is difficult, distressing, or annoying
The company was in trouble when the new CEO was hired.
He's in deep financial trouble.
also
: a situation of being subject to another's anger or contempt or to punishment
always getting into trouble at school
promised to stay out of trouble
—often used with with in trouble with the law/police
5
a
: a condition of physical distress or ill health : ailment
back trouble
heart trouble
b
: a condition of mechanical malfunction
car/engine/computer 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
6
: an effort made : pains
took the trouble to do it right
Don't go to any extra trouble for me.
They decided that upgrading was more trouble than it's worth.
It's not worth the trouble to go back for my hat.
7
a
: a cause of distress, annoyance, or inconvenience
I don't mean to be any trouble.
The decision could spell trouble [=cause problems] for us all.
b
: a negative feature : drawback
His trouble is that he's too honest.
—often used with withThe trouble with going into the city is finding parking.
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
Joe Rexrode, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
Air travelers came and went mostly without trouble at Denver International Airport on Friday, expressing gratitude for federal air traffic controllers working without pay, ready to adapt as flight reductions ordered by the Federal Aviation Administration kicked in.
—Bruce Finley, Denver Post, 8 Nov. 2025
Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for trouble
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Vanderbilt has been working on tempo all season, hasn’t used it a ton in games yet, but unleashed it Saturday and caused trouble.
—Joe Rexrode, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
Air travelers came and went mostly without trouble at Denver International Airport on Friday, expressing gratitude for federal air traffic controllers working without pay, ready to adapt as flight reductions ordered by the Federal Aviation Administration kicked in.
—Bruce Finley, Denver Post, 8 Nov. 2025
Verb
Offshore shell companies can serve both illicit and legitimate purposes, and the bank said it was troubled by the nominee shareholders who were designated to make decisions about the shell company.
—Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for trouble
Cite this Entry
“Trouble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trouble. Accessed 10 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
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