troubleshoot
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
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to discover and eliminate problems or malfunctions in (software, mechanical equipment, etc.).
When using web conferencing platforms, it's important to troubleshoot your tech before joining the call.
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to discover and eliminate (problems or malfunctions in software, mechanical equipment, etc).
I had to troubleshoot an error that was freezing me out of the program.
Usage
What does troubleshoot mean? To troubleshoot is to resolve a dispute, fix a problem, or eliminate something that causes trouble, as in Before throwing away your toaster, why not troubleshoot it to find the problem?To troubleshoot is also to act or work as a troubleshooter, as in Naomi was promoted to troubleshoot the IT department’s toughest issues. A troubleshooter is often a person with good problem-solving skills and a deep knowledge about the thing they’re troubleshooting. Both troubleshooted and troubleshot are acceptable past tense versions of the verb troubleshoot. Because shooted is not the past tense of shoot, you may hear troubleshot more often. Example: I tried to troubleshoot the app myself, but it just isn’t working right.
Etymology
Origin of troubleshoot
First recorded in 1930–35; back formation from troubleshooter
Explanation
When you troubleshoot, you solve problems, usually by tracking down their sources. If you have difficulty using your new computer, you can call customer service and have someone help you troubleshoot. Teachers can help students troubleshoot, going back over math tests to see where they ran into problems, and online support for your cell phone or computer is always available to troubleshoot any issues you run into. The verb troubleshoot has been around since the early 1900's, from the noun troubleshooter, or in the 1890's, trouble-shooter. This was the name given to workers who repaired telegraph or telephone lines.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
With most of the batteries he installs, he can troubleshoot problems from his desk no matter where a truck is.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
He is incorporating artificial intelligence into manufacturing processes and using connected technology to troubleshoot machines.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
“With the vacation-rental or home-exchange sites, there’s no person to call, so we wouldn’t be able to properly troubleshoot if anything went sideways.”
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 19, 2026
That’s another reason Wicks will be on site, aiming to help those who may be new to AR, or to troubleshoot on the various devices audience members may bring.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 21, 2026
Unfortunately, even the PCI bus is not up to pulling this off reliably, and people who have to do installation or troubleshoot PCs soon find themselves longing for the DIP switches.
From The Jargon File, Version 4.2.2, 20 Aug 2000 by Steele, Guy L.
I troubleshooted through zoom meetings and real-time conversations, and I was able to make the photos I wanted for three weeks.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 25, 2024
On Wednesday, with a full class of North Kitsap High School students in Poulsbo on a Zoom call, Campbell frantically troubleshooted her computer webcam with her school district’s IT department with no success.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 12, 2020
My wife does the bulk of the troubleshooting on these problems, bless her.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
The data collected — including health monitoring and yes, troubleshooting fussy toilets — will inform future off-planet missions.
From Salon ● Apr. 7, 2026
They spent less than an hour troubleshooting the pour.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 19, 2026
However, by rapidly sorting through massive health datasets, generative AI may allow researchers to spend less time troubleshooting code and more time interpreting results and asking meaningful scientific questions.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 21, 2026
The troubleshooting sheet has a list of things to try if communication is lost.
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
Her hosting provider, Simplecast, troubleshot her RSS feed to ensure nothing strange was going on, she says, and, “at the end, they were like, ‘That’s really weird, it must be a RadioPublic problem.’”
From The Verge ● Nov. 23, 2021
“In the fog system of ‘Hadestown,’ we found mold,” Mazzella said, in the “Hey, no biggie” tone of a guy who has troubleshot everything.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 20, 2021
Women put together, operated, and troubleshot work on these computers.
From The Verge ● Aug. 16, 2017
When Traffic Expert Danny Arnstein troubleshot the Burma Road, he found some bad bottlenecks.
From Time Magazine Archive
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
