trouble

1 of 2

noun

trou·ble ˈtrə-bəl

plural troubles

Synonyms of trouble next

: the quality or state of being troubled especially mentally

: public unrest or disturbance

there's trouble brewing downtown

: an instance of trouble

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

Current Biography

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

in trouble with the law

heading for trouble

got into financial trouble

: such as

: a condition of physical distress or ill health : ailment

back trouble

heart trouble

: a condition of mechanical malfunction

engine trouble

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

has trouble reading

has trouble breathing

dated, informal : the state of being pregnant while unmarried

got a girl in trouble

: an effort made : pains

took the trouble to do it right

: a cause of distress, annoyance, or inconvenience

don't mean to be any trouble

what's the trouble?

: 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

: 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

: to agitate mentally or spiritually : worry, disturb

: 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

: to put into confused motion

the wind troubled the sea

intransitive verb

: to become mentally agitated : worry

refused to trouble over trifles

: to make an effort : be at pains

did not trouble to come

troubler

ˈtrə-b(ə-)lər

noun

Example Sentences

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. See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The murder case isn’t Walshe’s only legal trouble. —

Andrea Marks, Rolling Stone, 27 Apr. 2023 But not everyone wants to take the time and trouble. —

Morgan Lyle, Field & Stream, 25 Apr. 2023 Ten years ago, solo debuts from within such groups might have signaled trouble: perhaps an imminent disbanding, or one member being considered more successful than the others. —

Soy Kim, Billboard, 24 Apr. 2023 The plans did not reckon with manager Patterson whose watchful eyes detected an error and ‘foresaw’ trouble. —

Baltimore Sun, 21 Apr. 2023 If your stress does do a number on your GI system, here are a few ways to manage your stomach trouble, according to experts. —

Addison Aloian, Women's Health, 21 Apr. 2023 Few might have guessed Harlan would be the Crow to steer the company out of trouble. —

Kevin Sherrington, Dallas News, 20 Apr. 2023 Surely there will be more trouble, and, thus, more adventures ahead. —

Evan Romano, Men's Health, 20 Apr. 2023 Did that confidence ever get you in trouble? —

Emanuel Okusanya, Variety, 18 Apr. 2023

Verb

The artist is troubled by the political attacks happening in Southern states against trans folks, reproductive choice, drag shows, and other freedoms. —

Brittanie Shey, Chron, 10 Apr. 2023 Both generational groups are right to be troubled. —

Michelle Singletary, Washington Post, 7 Apr. 2023 Three others, however, said they were troubled by it. —

Reuters, NBC News, 6 Apr. 2023 Why Justine Bateman Will Never Get Plastic Surgery: 'Stop Telling Women To Get Their Faces Fixed' Last week, Bateman told 60 Minutes Australia she was troubled by women's obsession with trying to reverse the natural process of aging. —

Brandon Livesay, Peoplemag, 3 Apr. 2023 Now, as a feminist philosopher and an anti-nationalist living in and thinking about war, Irina was troubled by feminist colleagues’ rush to mobilize around nationalist rhetoric. —

Masha Gessen, The New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2023 The yellow vest movement sent French demonstrators into the streets, troubled by rising fuel prices. —

David A. Andelman, CNN, 20 Mar. 2023 Even those new buildings can be troubled by mechanical and human breakdowns. —

Doug Smith, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2023 With his decades of experience in the industry, Mr. MacFarlane is troubled that lack of capital remains a barrier for would-be developers. —

Colette Coleman, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2023 See More

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

See more words from the same century