trouble

[truhb-uh l] /ˈtrʌb əl/
verb (used with object), troubled, troubling.
1.
to disturb the mental calm and contentment of; worry; distress; agitate.
2.
to put to inconvenience, exertion, pains, or the like:
May I trouble you to shut the door?
3.
to cause bodily pain, discomfort, or disorder to; afflict:
to be troubled by arthritis.
4.
to annoy, vex, or bother:
Don't trouble her with petty complaints now.
5.
to disturb, agitate, or stir up so as to make turbid, as water or wine:
A heavy gale troubled the ocean waters.
verb (used without object), troubled, troubling.
6.
to put oneself to inconvenience, extra effort, or the like.
7.
to be distressed or agitated mentally; worry:
She always troubled over her son's solitariness.
noun
8.
difficulty, annoyance, or harassment:
It would be no trouble at all to advise you.
9.
unfortunate or distressing position, circumstance, or occurrence; misfortune:
Financial trouble may threaten security.
10.
civil disorder, disturbance, or conflict:
political trouble in the new republic; labor troubles.
11.
a physical disorder, disease, ailment, etc.; ill health:
heart trouble; stomach trouble.
12.
mental or emotional disturbance or distress; worry:
Trouble and woe were her lot in life.
13.
an instance of this:
some secret trouble weighing on his mind; a mother who shares all her children's troubles.
14.
effort, exertion, or pains in doing something; inconvenience endured in accomplishing some action, deed, etc.:
The results were worth the trouble it took.
15.
an objectionable feature; problem; drawback:
The trouble with your proposal is that it would be too costly to implement.
16.
something or someone that is a cause or source of disturbance, distress, annoyance, etc.
17.
a personal habit or trait that is a disadvantage or a cause of mental distress:
His greatest trouble is oversensitivity.
18.
the Troubles.
  1. the violence and civil war in Ireland, 1920–22.
  2. the conflict between Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland, beginning in 1969.
Idioms
19.
in trouble, Informal. pregnant out of wedlock (used as a euphemism).
Origin
1175-1225; (v.) Middle English troublen < Old French troubler < Vulgar Latin *turbulare, derivative of *turbulus turbid, back formation from Latin turbulentus turbulent; (noun) Middle English < Middle French, derivative of troubler
Related forms
troubledly, adverb
troubledness, noun
troubler, noun
troublingly, adverb
nontroubling, adjective
overtrouble, verb, overtroubled, overtroubling.
self-troubled, adjective
self-troubling, adjective
untroubled, adjective
Synonyms
1. concern, upset, confuse. 4. pester, plague, fret, torment, hector, harass, badger. 12. concern, grief, agitation, care, suffering. 14. See care. 15. trial, tribulation, affliction, misfortune.
Antonyms
1. mollify; delight.
Examples from the web for trouble
  • Computers have great trouble deciphering voices that are speaking simultaneously.
  • However, it is great that someone finally put effort into making the letters that usually trouble dyslexics more discernible.
  • When the bandages at last came off, he had trouble with depth perception and gauging distances, problems that would bother him.
  • No surprise, drunk animals were more relaxed and had less anxiety, and had trouble learning to avoid possible danger.
  • Although, strictly speaking, the trouble isn't of his making.
  • Scientists find clues to why adolescents seek out and find trouble.
  • What you might not know about them is they're graceful, they can swim, and they're in trouble.
  • Alcoholics have trouble understanding jokes, but they may be missing out on much more than a chance to laugh.
  • We, on the other hand, have trouble imagining that kind of society.
  • As usual, he found them-but not without deep trouble.
British Dictionary definitions for trouble

trouble

/ˈtrʌbəl/
noun
1.
a state or condition of mental distress or anxiety
2.
a state or condition of disorder or unrest: industrial trouble
3.
a condition of disease, pain, or malfunctioning: she has liver trouble
4.
a cause of distress, disturbance, or pain; problem: what is the trouble?
5.
effort or exertion taken to do something: he took a lot of trouble over this design
6.
liability to suffer punishment or misfortune (esp in the phrase be in trouble): he's in trouble with the police
7.
a personal quality that is regarded as a weakness, handicap, or cause of annoyance: his trouble is that he's too soft
8.
(pl)
  1. political unrest or public disturbances
  2. the Troubles, political violence in Ireland during the 1920s or in Northern Ireland between the late 1960s and the late 1990s
9.
the condition of an unmarried girl who becomes pregnant (esp in the phrase in trouble)
verb
10.
(transitive) to cause trouble to; upset, pain, or worry
11.
(intransitive) usually with a negative and foll by about. to put oneself to inconvenience; be concerned: don't trouble about me
12.
(intransitive; usually with a negative) to take pains; exert oneself: please don't trouble to write everything down
13.
(transitive) to cause inconvenience or discomfort to: does this noise trouble you?
14.
(transitive; usually passive) to agitate or make rough: the seas were troubled
15.
(transitive) (Caribbean) to interfere with: he wouldn't like anyone to trouble his new bicycle
Derived Forms
troubled, adjective
troubler, noun
Word Origin
C13: from Old French troubler, from Vulgar Latin turbulāre (unattested), from Late Latin turbidāre, from turbidus confused, from turba commotion
Word Origin and History for trouble
v.

early 13c., from Old French trubler (11c.), metathesis of turbler, from Vulgar Latin *turbulare, from Late Latin turbidare "to trouble, make turbid," from Latin turbidus (see turbid). Related: Troubled; troubling.

n.

c.1200, "agitation of the mind, emotional turmoil," from Old French truble, related to trubler (see trouble (v.)). From early 15c. as "a concern, a cause for worry." The Troubles in reference to times of violence and unrest in Ireland is attested from 1880, in reference to the rebellion of 1640s.

Slang definitions & phrases for trouble

trouble

Related Terms

double-trouble, drown one's sorrows, hand trouble


Idioms and Phrases with trouble

trouble

also see: