trouble

/ˈtrʌbəl/

/ˈtrʌbəl/

Other forms: troubled; troubles; troubling

Trouble is anything that causes difficulty, worry, and inconvenience, or that prevents you from doing something. If you have trouble getting along with a classmate, it is hard to be friendly with him or her.

Whether you have trouble finding your shoes, you're in trouble with your teacher, or you go to a lot of trouble buying the kind of tea your sister likes, you face an annoying — and possibly distressing — difficulty. When you use trouble as a verb, it tells who or what is making life hard for you, like a headache that troubles you or childhood memories of encounters with scary clowns that probably trouble you even more deeply.

Definitions of trouble

1. noun

   a source of difficulty
   “one trouble after another delayed the job”

   synonyms: problem

   types:

   pressure point

   where problems or difficulties are likely to occur

   can of worms

   a source of unpredictable trouble and complexity

   deep water

   serious trouble

   growing pains

   problems that arise in enlarging an enterprise (especially in the early stages)

   hydra

   trouble that cannot be overcome by a single effort because of its many aspects or its persistent and pervasive quality

   matter

   a problem

   type of:

   difficulty

   a factor causing trouble in achieving a positive result or tending to produce a negative result
2. noun

   an event causing distress or pain
   “what is the trouble?”

   “heart trouble”

   types:

   bad luck, misfortune

   unnecessary and unforeseen trouble resulting from an unfortunate event

   affliction

   a cause of great suffering and distress

   convulsion

   a physical disturbance such as an earthquake or upheaval

   embarrassment

   some event that causes someone to be embarrassed

   blaze, hell

   a cause of difficulty and suffering

   onslaught

   a sudden and severe onset of trouble

   outrage, scandal

   a disgraceful event

   disturbance, interference, noise

   electrical or acoustic activity that can disturb communication

   clutter

   unwanted echoes that interfere with the observation of signals on a radar screen

   pity, shame

   an unfortunate development

   calvary, martyrdom

   any experience that causes intense suffering

   skeleton, skeleton in the closet, skeleton in the cupboard

   a scandal that is kept secret

   misadventure, mischance, mishap

   an instance of misfortune

   calamity, cataclysm, catastrophe, disaster, tragedy

   an event resulting in great loss and misfortune

   adversity

   a stroke of ill fortune; a calamitous event

   hardship

   something that causes or entails suffering

   knock

   a bad experience

   trial, tribulation, visitation

   an annoying or frustrating or catastrophic event

   curse, torment

   a severe affliction

   background, background signal

   extraneous signals that can be confused with the phenomenon to be observed or measured

   XT, crosstalk

   the presence of an unwanted signal via an accidental coupling

   fadeout

   a gradual temporary loss of a transmitted signal due to electrical disturbances

   jitter

   small rapid variations in a waveform resulting from fluctuations in the voltage supply or mechanical vibrations or other sources

   atmospheric static, atmospherics, static

   a crackling or hissing noise caused by electrical interference

   white noise

   a noise produced by a stimulus containing all of the audible frequencies of vibration

   attack

   a sudden occurrence of an uncontrollable condition

   bane, curse, nemesis, scourge

   something causing misery or death

   type of:

   happening, natural event, occurrence, occurrent

   an event that happens
3. noun

   an angry disturbance
   “they had labor trouble”

   synonyms: bother, fuss, hassle

   type of:

   disturbance, perturbation

   activity that is a malfunction, intrusion, or interruption
4. noun

   an effort that is inconvenient
   “I went to a lot of trouble”

   “he won without any trouble”

   synonyms: difficulty

   types:

   the devil

   something difficult or awkward to do or deal with

   tsuris

   (Yiddish) aggravating trouble

   type of:

   effort, elbow grease, exertion, sweat, travail

   use of physical or mental energy; hard work
5. verb

   to cause inconvenience or discomfort to
   “Sorry to trouble you, but...”

   synonyms: bother, discommode, disoblige, incommode, inconvenience, put out

   types:

   distress, straiten

   bring into difficulties or distress, especially financial hardship

   type of:

   affect, bear on, bear upon, impact, touch, touch on

   have an effect upon
6. verb

   take the trouble to do something; concern oneself
   “He did not trouble to call his mother on her birthday”

   synonyms: bother, inconvenience oneself, trouble oneself

   type of:

   reach, strain, strive

   to exert much effort or energy
7. verb

   cause bodily suffering to and make sick or indisposed
   synonyms: ail, pain

   types:

   break out, erupt, recrudesce

   become raw or open

   type of:

   hurt

   give trouble or pain to
8. noun

   a strong feeling of anxiety
   synonyms: worry

   type of:

   anxiety

   a vague unpleasant emotion that is experienced in anticipation of some (usually ill-defined) misfortune
9. verb

   disturb in mind or make uneasy or cause to be worried or alarmed
   synonyms: cark, disorder, disquiet, distract, perturb, unhinge

   types:

   vex, worry

   disturb the peace of mind of; afflict with mental agitation or distress

   misgive

   suggest fear or doubt

   eat, eat on

   worry or cause anxiety in a persistent way

   nag

   worry persistently

   type of:

   disturb, upset

   move deeply
10. verb

    move deeply
    “A troubling thought”

    synonyms: disturb, upset

    types:

    agitate, charge, charge up, commove, excite, rouse, turn on

    cause to be agitated, excited, or roused

    jolt

    disturb (someone's) composure

    cark, disorder, disquiet, distract, perturb, unhinge

    disturb in mind or make uneasy or cause to be worried or alarmed

    distress

    cause mental pain to

    hype up, psych up

    get excited or stimulated

    vex, worry

    disturb the peace of mind of; afflict with mental agitation or distress

    bother

    make nervous or agitated

    besiege

    cause to feel distressed or worried

    pother

    make upset or troubled

    electrify

    excite suddenly and intensely

    type of:

    affect, impress, move, strike

    have an emotional or cognitive impact upon
11. noun

    an unwanted pregnancy
    type of:

    gestation, maternity, pregnancy

    the state of being pregnant; the period from conception to birth when a woman carries a developing fetus in her uterus