Definition of 'trouble'
Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular present tense troubles
, present participle troubling
, past tense, past participle troubled
2. singular noun
If you say that one aspect of a situation is the trouble, you mean that it is the aspect which is causing problems or making the situation unsatisfactory.
4. uncountable noun [noun NOUN]
6. uncountable noun [oft NOUN to-infinitive]
If you tell someone that it is no trouble to do something for them, you are saying politely that you can or will do it, because it is easy or convenient for you.
[politeness]
7. uncountable noun
If you say that a person or animal is no trouble, you mean that they are very easy to look after.
9. verb
If a part of your body troubles you, it causes you physical pain or discomfort.
10. verb
If you say that someone does not trouble to do something, you are critical of them because they do not behave in the way that they should do, and you think that this would require very little effort.
[disapproval]
He seemed to be a naturally solitary person, troubling himself about only a few friends. [V pron-refl about/with n]
11. verb
You use trouble in expressions such as I'm sorry to trouble you when you are apologizing to someone for disturbing them in order to ask them something.
[formulae]
I hate to trouble you, but Aunt Lina's birthday is coming up and I would like to
buy something nice for her.
12.
See in/into trouble
13.
See take the trouble
14.
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
British English pronunciation
American English pronunciation
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Word Frequency
trouble in British English
verb
11. (intransitive; usually with a negative and foll by about)
to put oneself to inconvenience; be concerned
don't trouble about me
12. (intr; usually with a negative)
to take pains; exert oneself
please don't trouble to write everything down
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
troubled (ˈtroubled) adjective
troubler (ˈtroubler)
noun
Word origin
C13: from Old French troubler, from Vulgar Latin turbulāre (unattested), from Late Latin turbidāre, from turbidus confused, from turba commotion
Word Frequency
trouble in American English
verb transitiveWord forms: ˈtroubled or ˈtroubling
1.
to disturb or agitate
troubled waters
4.
to cause difficulty or inconvenience to; incommode
don't trouble yourself to rise
verb intransitive
6.
to make an effort; take pains; bother
don't trouble to return it
noun
7.
a state of mental distress; worry
8.
9.
a person, circumstance, or event that causes annoyance, distress, difficulty, etc.
10.
public disturbance; civil disorder
11.
effort; bother; pains
to take the trouble to look it up
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Derived forms
troubler (ˈtroubler)
noun
Word origin
ME trublen < OFr trubler < VL *turbulare, altered (infl. by L turbula, disorderly group, dim. of turba, crowd) < LL turbidare, to trouble, make turbid < L turbidus, turbidWord Frequency
trouble in American English
(ˈtrʌbəl) (verb -bled, -bling)
transitive verb
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?
4.
to annoy, vex, or bother
Don't trouble her with petty complaints now
intransitive verb
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
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.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
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.
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.
His greatest trouble is oversensitivity
18. See the Troubles
19. See in trouble
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Derived forms
troubledly adverb
troubledness
noun
troubler
noun
troublingly
adverb
Word origin
[1175–1225; (v.) ME troublen ‹ OF troubler ‹ VL *turbulare, deriv. of *turbulus turbid, back formation from L turbulentus turbulent; (n.) ME ‹ MF, deriv. of troubler]Examples of 'trouble' in a sentence
trouble
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Quotations
Man is born unto trouble Bible: Job
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In other languages
trouble
British English: trouble
/ˈtrʌbl/ NOUN
You can refer to problems or difficulties as trouble.
I had trouble parking.
- American English: trouble /ˈtrʌbəl/
- Arabic: قَلَق
- Brazilian Portuguese: problema
- Chinese: 麻烦
- Croatian: problem
- Czech: potíže
- Danish: problem
- Dutch: moeite
- European Spanish: problemas
- Finnish: vaikeus
- French: difficultés
- German: Schwierigkeit
- Greek: μπελάς
- Italian: problema
- Japanese: 困難
- Korean: 곤란
- Norwegian: trøbbel
- Polish: kłopot
- European Portuguese: problema
- Romanian: dificultate
- Russian: беспокойство
- Latin American Spanish: problema
- Swedish: bekymmer
- Thai: ปัญหา
- Turkish: güçlük
- Ukrainian: проблема
- Vietnamese: vấn đề phiền toái
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