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 troubles—
Current Biography
Current Biography4
: 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 them—John Perham
John Perham
c
: the unhappy or sad fact
the trouble is, I need the money
troubled; troubling
ˈtrə-b(ə-)liŋ 
1
2
: to put into confused motion
the wind troubled the sea
1
: to become mentally agitated : worry
refused to trouble over trifles
2
: to make an effort : be at pains
did not trouble to come
Synonyms
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
Luis Melecio-Zambrano, The Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2024
Boeing got in trouble for playing dirty with cargo plane soap dispensers.
—Melvin Backman, Quartz, 31 Oct. 2024
Variety, NBC News, 21 Oct. 2024
In a statement shared with PEOPLE, Spring Independent School District's superintendent, Lupita Hinojosa, said she was troubled by the accounts but indicated they were limited in scope.
—David Chiu, People.com, 11 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for trouble 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
The new council and mayor must tackle a slew of troubles for the city, which faces the largest per-capita homeless population in the county, a stark shortage of firefighters and police officers, and ongoing questions on how to balance growth and draw in business.
—Luis Melecio-Zambrano, The Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2024
Boeing got in trouble for playing dirty with cargo plane soap dispensers.
—Melvin Backman, Quartz, 31 Oct. 2024
Verb
Despite being troubled by severe health issues in recent years that restricted him to performing in a wheelchair, Paul continued to entertain his fans around the world, racking up well over 100 shows since 2023.
—Variety, NBC News, 21 Oct. 2024
In a statement shared with PEOPLE, Spring Independent School District's superintendent, Lupita Hinojosa, said she was troubled by the accounts but indicated they were limited in scope.
—David Chiu, People.com, 11 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for trouble
Dictionary Entries Near trouble
Cite this Entry
“Trouble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trouble. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
trouble
1 of 2 verb
trou·ble
ˈtrəb-əl
troubled; troubling
ˈtrəb-(ə-)liŋ
1
2
: to put into confused motion
wind troubled the sea
3
: to make an effort
do not trouble to come
trouble
2 of 2 noun1
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
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