trouble

1 of 2

noun

trou·​ble ˈtrə-bəl How to pronounce trouble (audio)
plural troubles
1
: the quality or state of being troubled especially mentally
2
: public unrest or disturbance
there's trouble brewing downtown
3
: an instance of trouble
used to disguise her frustrations and despair by making light of her troublesCurrent Biography
4
: a state or condition of distress, annoyance, or difficulty
in trouble with the law
heading for trouble
got into financial trouble
: such as
a
: a condition of physical distress or ill health : ailment
back trouble
heart trouble
b
: a condition of mechanical malfunction
engine 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
5
: an effort made : pains
took the trouble to do it right
6
a
: a cause of distress, annoyance, or inconvenience
don't mean to be any trouble
what's the trouble?
b
: a negative feature : drawback
the trouble with you is you're too honest
the main trouble with electronic systems is the overreliance on themJohn Perham
c
: the unhappy or sad fact
the trouble is, I need the money

trouble

2 of 2

verb

troubled; troubling ˈtrə-b(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce trouble (audio)

transitive verb

1
a
: to agitate mentally or spiritually : worry, disturb
b
: 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
2
: to put into confused motion
the wind troubled the sea

intransitive verb

1
: to become mentally agitated : worry
refused to trouble over trifles
2
: to make an effort : be at pains
did not trouble to come
troubler noun

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
Noun
Boeing got in trouble for playing dirty with cargo plane soap dispensers. Melvin Backman, Quartz, 31 Oct. 2024 Some of the troubles that MacLellan recounted: The consumer testing business had slowed, there was a massive data breach, and a drug discovery business that drained the company’s resources before it was finally shut down. Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 31 Oct. 2024
Verb
Yet as a Black liberationist and a former professor of African American History, the accusation troubled me. Nina Turner, Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2024 Courtesy Sony Pictures For the most part, Venom doesn’t trouble itself with Spider-Man. James Grebey, TIME, 25 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for trouble 

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

Dictionary Entries Near trouble

Cite this Entry

“Trouble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trouble. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

trouble

1 of 2 verb
trou·​ble ˈtrəb-əl How to pronounce trouble (audio)
troubled; troubling ˈtrəb-(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce trouble (audio)
1
a
: to disturb or become disturbed mentally or spiritually : worry
her continued absence troubled him
b
: to produce physical disorder in : afflict
troubled with weak knees
c
: to put to exertion or inconvenience
may I trouble you for the salt
2
: to put into confused motion
wind troubled the sea
3
: to make an effort
do not trouble to come

trouble

2 of 2 noun
1
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

More from Merriam-Webster on trouble

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