What does "trouble" mean?
A distressing or dangerous situation.
Trouble
/ˈtɹʌb.əl/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A distressing or dangerous situation.
- Grammar: trouble is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: bother, difficulty, problem, worry.
- Useful contrasts: allay, assist, avoid.
- Usage evidence: More people get into trouble for things they say rather than for what they do.
How to use "trouble"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "trouble" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "trouble" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "trouble" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "trouble" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "trouble" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "bother" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "trouble", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A distressing or dangerous situation. countable, uncountable
"He was in trouble when the rain started."
- 2 an effort that is inconvenient wordnet
- 3 A difficulty, problem, condition, or action contributing to such a situation. countable, uncountable
"The trouble was a leaking brake line."
- 4 a source of difficulty wordnet
- 5 A person liable to place others or themselves in such a situation. countable, uncountable
"’Cause I knew you were trouble when you walked in So shame on me no-ow"
Show 15 more definitions
- 6 an event causing distress or pain wordnet
- 7 The state of being troubled, disturbed, or distressed mentally; unease, disquiet. countable, uncountable
"Yet oft when sundown skirts the moor An inner trouble I behold, A spectral doubt which makes me cold, That I shall be thy mate no more, […]"
- 8 an angry disturbance wordnet
- 9 Objectionable feature of something or someone; problem, drawback, weakness, failing, or shortcoming. countable, uncountable
"Your trouble is that you quit too readily."
- 10 a strong feeling of anxiety wordnet
- 11 Violent or turbulent occurrence or event; unrest, disturbance. countable, uncountable
"the troubles in Northern Ireland"
- 12 an unwanted pregnancy wordnet
- 13 Efforts taken or expended, typically beyond the normal required. countable, uncountable
"It’s no trouble for me to edit it."
- 14 Difficulty in doing something. countable, uncountable
"She has trouble eating."
- 15 Health problems, ailment, generally of some particular part of the body. countable, uncountable
"He’s been in hospital with some heart trouble."
- 16 A malfunction. countable, uncountable
"My old car has engine trouble."
- 17 Liability to punishment; conflict with authority. countable, uncountable
"He had some trouble with the law."
- 18 A fault or interruption in a stratum. countable, uncountable
- 19 Wife. Clipping of trouble and strife. Cockney, countable, slang, uncountable
- 20 An unplanned, unwanted or undesired pregnancy. countable, dated, slang, uncountable
"I never had schoolin’ but he taught me well / With his smooth southern style / Three months later I’m a gal in trouble / And I haven’t seen him for a while."
Verb
- 1 To disturb, stir up, agitate (a medium, especially water). archaic, transitive
"For an Angel went downe at a certaine season into the poole, and troubled the water:"
- 2 cause bodily suffering to and make sick or indisposed wordnet
- 3 To mentally distress; to cause (someone) to be anxious or perplexed. transitive
"What she said about narcissism is troubling me."
- 4 disturb in mind or make uneasy or cause to be worried or alarmed wordnet
- 5 In weaker sense: to bother or inconvenience. transitive
"I will not trouble you to deliver the letter."
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 move deeply wordnet
- 7 To physically afflict. transitive, usually
"My bad knee is troubling me."
- 8 take the trouble to do something; concern oneself wordnet
- 9 To take pains (to do something); to bother. intransitive, reflexive
"I won’t trouble to post the letter today; I can do it tomorrow."
- 10 to cause inconvenience or discomfort to wordnet
- 11 To worry; to be anxious. intransitive
"Why trouble about the future? It is wholly uncertain."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"More people get into trouble for things they say rather than for what they do."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "trouble"?
Common synonyms include: bother, difficulty, problem, worry, abuse a privilege, ado.
How do you use "trouble" in a sentence?
More people get into trouble for things they say rather than for what they do.
How do you pronounce "trouble"?
Pronounced /ˈtɹʌb.əl/.
Etymology
Verb is from Middle English troublen, trouble, borrowed from Old French troubler, trobler, trubler, metathetic variants of tourbler, torbler, turbler, from Vulgar Latin *turbulō, from Latin turbula (“disorderly group, a little crowd or people”), diminutive of turba (“stir; crowd”). The noun is from Middle English trouble, troble, from Old French troble, from the verb.