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Trouble definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

TROUBLE, v.t. trub'l. [L. turbo; turba, a crowd, and perhaps trova, a turn. The primary sense is to turn or to stir, to whirl about, as in L. turbo, turbinis, a whirlwind. Hence the sense of agitation, disturbance.
1. To agitate; to disturb; to put into confused motion.
God looking forth will trouble all his host.
An angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water. John 5.
2. To disturb; to perplex.
Never trouble yourself about those faults which age will cure.
3. To afflict; to grieve; to distress.
Those that trouble me, rejoice when I am moved. Psalms 13.
4. To busy; to cause to be much engaged or anxious.
Martha, thou art careful, and troubled about many things. Luke 10.
5. To tease; to vex; to molest.
The boy so troubles me,
'Tis past enduring.
6. To give occasion for labor to. I will not trouble you to deliver the letter. I will not trouble myself in this affair.
7. To sue for a debt. He wishes not to trouble his debtors.
TROUBLE, n. trub'l. Disturbance of mind; agitation; commotion of spirits; perplexity; a word of very extensive application.
1. Affliction; calamity.
He shall deliver thee in six troubles. Job 5.
Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles. Psalms 25.
2. Molestation; inconvenience; annoyance.
Lest the fiend some new trouble raise.
3. Uneasiness; vexation.
4. That which gives disturbance, annoyance or vexation; that which afflicts.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a source of difficulty; "one trouble after another delayed the job"; "what's the problem?" [syn: trouble, problem]
2: an angry disturbance; "he didn't want to make a fuss"; "they had labor trouble"; "a spot of bother" [syn: fuss, trouble, bother, hassle]
3: an event causing distress or pain; "what is the trouble?"; "heart trouble"
4: an effort that is inconvenient; "I went to a lot of trouble"; "he won without any trouble"; "had difficulty walking"; "finished the test only with great difficulty" [syn: trouble, difficulty]
5: a strong feeling of anxiety; "his worry over the prospect of being fired"; "it is not work but worry that kills"; "he wanted to die and end his troubles" [syn: worry, trouble]
6: an unwanted pregnancy; "he got several girls in trouble" v
1: move deeply; "This book upset me"; "A troubling thought" [syn: disturb, upset, trouble]
2: to cause inconvenience or discomfort to; "Sorry to trouble you, but..." [syn: trouble, put out, inconvenience, disoblige, discommode, incommode, bother]
3: disturb in mind or make uneasy or cause to be worried or alarmed; "She was rather perturbed by the news that her father was seriously ill" [syn: perturb, unhinge, disquiet, trouble, cark, distract, disorder]
4: take the trouble to do something; concern oneself; "He did not trouble to call his mother on her birthday"; "Don't bother, please" [syn: trouble oneself, trouble, bother, inconvenience oneself]
5: cause bodily suffering to and make sick or indisposed [syn: trouble, ail, pain]

Merriam Webster's

I. verb (troubled; troubling) Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French trubler, from Vulgar Latin *turbulare, from *turbulus agitated, alteration of Latin turbulentus — more at turbulent Date: 13th century transitive verb 1. a. to agitate mentally or spiritually ; worry, disturb b. (1) archaic mistreat, oppress (2) to produce physical disorder in ; afflict <troubled by a cold> c. to put to exertion or inconvenience <I'm sorry to trouble you> 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 II. noun Date: 13th century 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 troubles — Current Biography> 4. a state or condition of distress, annoyance, or difficulty <in trouble with the law> <heading for trouble> <got into financial trouble>: 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. pregnancy out of wedlock <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 them — John Perham> c. the unhappy or sad fact <the trouble is, I need the money>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 difficulty or distress; vexation, affliction (am having trouble with my car). 2 a inconvenience; unpleasant exertion; bother (went to a lot of trouble). b a cause of this (the child was no trouble). 3 a cause of annoyance or concern (the trouble with you is that you can't say no). 4 a faulty condition or operation (kidney trouble; engine trouble). 5 a fighting, disturbance (crowd trouble; don't want any trouble). b (in pl.) political or social unrest, public disturbances. 6 disagreement, strife (is having trouble at home). --v. 1 tr. cause distress or anxiety to; disturb (were much troubled by their debts). 2 intr. be disturbed or worried (don't trouble about it). 3 tr. afflict; cause pain etc. to (am troubled with arthritis). 4 tr. & intr. (often refl.) subject or be subjected to inconvenience or unpleasant exertion (sorry to trouble you; don't trouble yourself; don't trouble to explain). Phrases and idioms: ask (or look) for trouble colloq. invite trouble or difficulty by one's actions, behaviour, etc.; behave rashly or indiscreetly. be no trouble cause no inconvenience etc. go to the trouble (or some trouble etc.) exert oneself to do something. in trouble 1 involved in a matter likely to bring censure or punishment. 2 colloq. pregnant while unmarried. take trouble (or the trouble) exert oneself to do something. trouble and strife rhymingsl. wife. trouble spot a place where difficulties regularly occur. Derivatives: troubler n. Etymology: ME f. OF truble (n.), trubler, turbler (v.) ult. f. L turbidus TURBID

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Trouble Trou"ble, a. Troubled; dark; gloomy. [Obs.] ``With full trouble cheer.'' --Chaucer.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Trouble Trou"ble, n. [F. trouble, OF. troble, truble. See Trouble, v. t.] 1. The state of being troubled; disturbance; agitation; uneasiness; vexation; calamity. Lest the fiend . . . some new trouble raise. --Milton. Foul whisperings are abroad; unnatural deeds Do breed unnatural troubles. --Shak. 2. That which gives disturbance, annoyance, or vexation; that which afflicts. 3. (Mining) A fault or interruption in a stratum. To get into trouble, to get into difficulty or danger. [Colloq.] To take the trouble, to be at the pains; to exert one's self; to give one's self inconvenience. She never took the trouble to close them. --Bryant. Syn: Affliction; disturbance; perplexity; annoyance; molestation; vexation; inconvenience; calamity; misfortune; adversity; embarrassment; anxiety; sorrow; misery.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Trouble Trou"ble, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Troubled; p. pr. & vb. n. Troubling.] [F. troubler, OF. trobler, trubler, tourbler,fr. (assumed) LL. turbulare, L. turbare to disorderly group, a little crowd; both from turba a disorder, tumult, crowd; akin to Gr. ?, and perhaps to E. thorp; cf. Skr. tvar, tur,o hasten. Cf. Turbid.] 1. To put into confused motion; to disturb; to agitate. An angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water. --John v. 4. God looking forth will trouble all his host. --Milton. 2. To disturb; to perplex; to afflict; to distress; to grieve; to fret; to annoy; to vex. Now is my soul troubled. --John xii. 27. Take the boy to you; he so troubles me 'T is past enduring. --Shak. Never trouble yourself about those faults which age will cure. --Locke. 3. To give occasion for labor to; -- used in polite phraseology; as, I will not trouble you to deliver the letter. Syn: To disturb; perplex; afflict; distress; grieve; harass; annoy; tease; vex; molest.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(troubles, troubling, troubled) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. You can refer to problems or difficulties as trouble. I had trouble parking... You've caused us a lot of trouble... The plane developed engine trouble soon after taking off... The crew are in serious trouble in 50-knot winds and huge seas... The Sullivans continued to have financial troubles. N-UNCOUNT: oft in N, also N in pl 2. 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. The trouble is that these restrictions have remained while other things have changed... Your trouble is that you can't take rejection. = problem N-SING: usu the N 3. Your troubles are the things that you are worried about. She kept her troubles to herself. N-PLURAL: usu poss N 4. If you have kidney trouble or back trouble, for example, there is something wrong with your kidneys or your back. Her husband had never before had any heart trouble... He began to have trouble with his right knee. N-UNCOUNT: n N, N with n 5. If there is trouble somewhere, especially in a public place, there is fighting or rioting there. Riot police are being deployed throughout the city to prevent any trouble... ...the first victim of the troubles in Northern Ireland. N-UNCOUNT: also N in pl 6. 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. It's no trouble at all; on the contrary, it will be a great pleasure to help you... = bother N-UNCOUNT: with brd-neg, oft N to-inf [politeness] 7. If you say that a person or animal is no trouble, you mean that they are very easy to look after. My little grandson is no trouble at all, but his 6-year-old elder sister is rude and selfish. N-UNCOUNT: with brd-neg 8. If something troubles you, it makes you feel rather worried. Is anything troubling you?... He was troubled by the lifestyle of his son. VERB: V n, V n • troubling But most troubling of all was the simple fact that nobody knew what was going on. ADJ 9. If a part of your body troubles you, it causes you physical pain or discomfort. The ulcer had been troubling her for several years. VERB: V n 10. 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. He yawns, not troubling to cover his mouth... He hadn't troubled himself to check his mirrors... VERB: with brd-neg, V to-inf, V pron-refl to-inf [disapproval] 11. 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. I'm sorry to trouble you, but I wondered if by any chance you know where he is... = bother VERB [formulae] 12. If someone is in trouble, they are in a situation in which a person in authority is angry with them or is likely to punish them because they have done something wrong. He was in trouble with his teachers... PHRASE: usu v-link PHR, PHR after v 13. If you take the trouble to do something, you do something which requires a small amount of additional effort. He did not take the trouble to see the film before he attacked it. PHRASE: V inflects, usu PHR to-inf, oft with brd-neg 14. If you say that someone or something is more trouble than they are worth, you mean that they cause you a lot of problems or take a lot of time and effort and you do not achieve or gain very much in return. Some grumbled that Johnson was more trouble than he was worth... PHRASE: V inflects, v-link PHR

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. 1. Agitate, disturb, derange, disorder, put out of order, disarrange, put in commotion, confuse. 2. Afflict, distress, grieve, annoy, vex, fret, plague, torment, harass, worry, pester, badger, disquiet, concern, make anxious, make uneasy, disturb, perplex, grieve, molest, perturb. 3. Inconvenience, incommode, give occasion for labor to. II. n. 1. Affliction, distress, dolor, suffering, calamity, grief, tribulation, adversity, misfortune, sorrow, woe, misery, pain. 2. Annoyance, perplexity, vexation, embarrassment, plague, torment, irritation, worry, care, anxiety, inconvenience. 3. Perplexity, embarrassment, bewilderment, disquietude, uneasiness. 4. Matter, cause of distress.

Foolish Dictionary

Something that many are looking for but no one wants.

Moby Thesaurus

Dutch, abuse a privilege, ado, adverse circumstances, adversity, afflict, affliction, aggravate, aggravation, agitate, agitation, ail, ailment, alarm, all-overs, angst, anguish, annoy, annoyance, anxiety, anxiety hysteria, anxiety neurosis, anxious bench, anxious concern, anxious seat, anxiousness, apprehension, apprehensiveness, awkwardness, bad news, be concerned, be the matter, beat, beat up, bedevilment, beset, besetment, bind, bitter cup, bitter draft, bitter draught, bitter pill, blight, bore, bother, botheration, bothersomeness, brawl, broil, brouhaha, bug, bummer, burden, burden of care, burdening, burthen, bustle, can of worms, cankerworm of care, care, cargo, charge, charging, churn, churn up, clumsiness, commotion, complaint, complicate matters, concern, concernment, convulse, crashing bore, cross, crown of thorns, cumbrance, curse, deadweight, defect, demand, destroy, devilment, difficulties, difficulty, disability, disaccommodate, disadvantage, disarrange, discombobulate, discomfit, discomfort, discommode, discommodity, discompose, disconcert, discord, discountenance, disease, disoblige, disorder, dispute, disquiet, disquietude, dissatisfaction, distract, distress, disturb, disturbance, dogging, donnybrook, donnybrook fair, downer, drag, dread, dustup, effort, elbow grease, electrify, embarrassment, embroil, embroilment, encroach upon, encumber, encumbrance, endeavor, energy, evil, exaction, exasperate, exasperation, excite, exertion, fear, ferment, fight, fighting, flurry, fluster, flutter, foofaraw, foreboding, forebodingness, fracas, frazzle, free-for-all, freight, freighting, fret, fuss, gall, gall and wormwood, give concern, great ado, grief, grievance, grieve, hamper, handicap, harass, harassment, hard knocks, hard life, hard lot, hard pull, hardcase, hardship, harm, harry, harrying, hassle, haunt, headache, heckler, hector, helter-skelter, hot water, hounding, hubbub, illness, impediment, impedimenta, impose, impose on, impose upon, imposing an onus, imposition, in a mess, in a pickle, in a predicament, in a scrape, in trouble, incommode, incommodity, inconsiderateness, inconvenience, inconveniency, inconvenientness, infliction, inquietude, intrude, irk, irritate, irritation, jar, jolt, laying on, load, load with care, loading, loading down, long pull, lumber, make free with, malaise, matter, melee, might and main, misgiving, molestation, muscle, nag, nerve and sinew, nervous strain, nervous tension, nervousness, nettle, nudnik, nuisance, obtrude upon, obtrusiveness, on the spot, onus, oppression, outbreak, overanxiety, overstep, pack, pack of troubles, paddle, pain, pains, peck of troubles, pell-mell, penalty, perplex, persecution, perturb, perturbate, perturbation, pest, pester, pins and needles, plague, plight, pother, predicament, pressure, presume on, presume upon, presumptuousness, problem, provoke, psych, pucker, put about, put out, put to inconvenience, put to it, put to trouble, puzzle, racket, rampage, rebellion, revolt, rigor, rile, riot, ripple, rock, roil, rough-and-tumble, roughen, roughhouse, row, rowel, ruckus, ruction, ruffle, rumple, rumpus, scramble, sea of troubles, shake, shake up, shindy, shock, sickness, skirmish, solicitude, sorrow, spook, stagger, stew, stir, stir up, strain, stress, stress of life, strife, suffering, suspense, swirl, take a liberty, take liberties, take pains, tasking, taxing, tension, thank, thorn, throw, throw into confusion, to-do, torment, tormenter, trial, tribulation, troubles, troublesomeness, try, tumult, turbulence, turmoil, uneasiness, unhandiness, unpleasantness, unquietness, unrest, unsettle, unwarranted demand, unwieldiness, uprising, uproar, upset, vale of tears, vex, vexation, vexatiousness, vicissitude, waters of bitterness, weigh down, weight, weighting, while, whip, whip up, whisk, white elephant, woe, work up, worriment, worry, zeal