trouble
to disturb the mental calm and contentment of; worry; distress; agitate.
to put to inconvenience, exertion, pains, or the like: May I trouble you to shut the door?
to cause bodily pain, discomfort, or disorder to; afflict: to be troubled by arthritis.
to annoy, vex, or bother: Don't trouble her with petty complaints now.
to disturb, agitate, or stir up so as to make turbid, as water or wine: A heavy gale troubled the ocean waters.
to put oneself to inconvenience, extra effort, or the like.
to be distressed or agitated mentally; worry: She always troubled over her son's solitariness.
difficulty, annoyance, or harassment: It would be no trouble at all to advise you.
unfortunate or distressing position, circumstance, or occurrence; misfortune: Financial trouble may threaten security.
civil disorder, disturbance, or conflict: political trouble in the new republic; labor troubles.
a physical disorder, disease, ailment, etc.; ill health: heart trouble; stomach trouble.
mental or emotional disturbance or distress; worry: Trouble and woe were her lot in life.
an instance of this: some secret trouble weighing on his mind; a mother who shares all her children's troubles.
effort, exertion, or pains in doing something; inconvenience endured in accomplishing some action, deed, etc.: The results were worth the trouble it took.
an objectionable feature; problem; drawback: The trouble with your proposal is that it would be too costly to implement.
something or someone that is a cause or source of disturbance, distress, annoyance, etc.
a personal habit or trait that is a disadvantage or a cause of mental distress: His greatest trouble is oversensitivity.
the Troubles,
the violence and civil war in Ireland, 1920–22.
the conflict between Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland, beginning in 1969.
Idioms about trouble
in trouble, Informal. pregnant out of wedlock (used as a euphemism).
Origin of trouble
1synonym study For trouble
Other words for trouble
1 | concern, upset, confuse |
4 | pester, plague, fret, torment, hector, harass, badger |
12 | concern, grief, agitation, care, suffering |
15 | trial, tribulation, affliction, misfortune |
Opposites for trouble
Other words from trouble
- trou·bled·ly, adverb
- trou·bled·ness, noun
- troubler, noun
- trou·bling·ly, adverb
- non·trou·bling, adjective
- o·ver·trou·ble, verb, o·ver·trou·bled, o·ver·trou·bling.
- self-troubled, adjective
- self-troubling, adjective
- un·trou·bled, adjective
Words Nearby trouble
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use trouble in a sentence
Given that, the charger has no trouble charging smartphones, tablets, or USB-C devices like the Nintendo Switch as quickly as possible, either.
Grab a recommended 90W charger for your phone, Switch, and laptop for $43 | Ars Staff | September 11, 2020 | Ars TechnicaResearch has shown that kids who spend a lot of time on screens are more likely to have eye problems, weight problems and trouble with reading and language.
Healthy screen time is one challenge of distance learning | Kathryn Hulick | September 11, 2020 | Science News For StudentsUsing digital technology could help them not just give money away faster and more efficiently, it could also help them understand the state of the economy and adjust support measures to target the critical trouble spots.
Buy nowThe trouble with video workouts is that if you miss a beat, you fall behind.
The Cupertino, California-based company’s system status screens were also slow to indicate any trouble.
Apple’s App Store draws scrutiny in yet another country | Verne Kopytoff | September 3, 2020 | Fortune
Freedom of speech, then, is sometimes not worth the trouble that comes with it.
Politicians Only Love Journalists When They're Dead | Luke O’Neil | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTThe people who are involved in the violence, they figure out ways to remain here at all costs and continue causing trouble.
The Lion Air captain had left his rookie copilot to make the landing until he realized he was in trouble.
Annoying Airport Delays Might Prevent You From Becoming the Next AirAsia 8501 | Clive Irving | January 6, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTFor years, Brooke even had trouble finding a publisher for his memoir, which was ultimately accepted by Rutgers University Press.
Ed Brooke: The Senate's Civil Rights Pioneer and Prophet of a Post-Racial America | John Avlon | January 4, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTWe are 80 percent Putin supporters today and tomorrow Khodorkovsky or Navalny might come to power and I will be in trouble.
With the management of these, however, the Earl of Pit Town did not trouble himself.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3) | Charles James WillsBut you are English, or you are American; and men of those countries never misunderstand a woman, even if she is in trouble.
Rosemary in Search of a Father | C. N. WilliamsonBrethren are a help in the time of trouble, but mercy shall deliver more than they.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | VariousTobacco requires a great deal of skill and trouble in the right management of it.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce | E. R. Billings.Liszt sometimes strikes wrong notes when he plays, but it does not trouble him in the least.
Music-Study in Germany | Amy Fay
British Dictionary definitions for trouble
/ (ˈtrʌbəl) /
a state or condition of mental distress or anxiety
a state or condition of disorder or unrest: industrial trouble
a condition of disease, pain, or malfunctioning: she has liver trouble
a cause of distress, disturbance, or pain; problem: what is the trouble?
effort or exertion taken to do something: he took a lot of trouble over this design
liability to suffer punishment or misfortune (esp in the phrase be in trouble): he's in trouble with the police
a personal quality that is regarded as a weakness, handicap, or cause of annoyance: his trouble is that he's too soft
(plural)
political unrest or public disturbances
the Troubles political violence in Ireland during the 1920s or in Northern Ireland between the late 1960s and the late 1990s
the condition of an unmarried girl who becomes pregnant (esp in the phrase in trouble)
(tr) to cause trouble to; upset, pain, or worry
(intr usually with a negative and foll by about) to put oneself to inconvenience; be concerned: don't trouble about me
(intr; usually with a negative) to take pains; exert oneself: please don't trouble to write everything down
(tr) to cause inconvenience or discomfort to: does this noise trouble you?
(tr; usually passive) to agitate or make rough: the seas were troubled
(tr) Caribbean to interfere with: he wouldn't like anyone to trouble his new bicycle
Origin of trouble
1Derived forms of trouble
- troubled, adjective
- troubler, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with trouble
In addition to the idioms beginning with trouble
- trouble one's head with
- trouble someone for
also see:
- borrow trouble
- fish in troubled waters
- go to the trouble
- in trouble with
- pour oil on troubled waters
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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