trouble

See also: troublé

English

Etymology

Verb is from Middle English troublen, trublen, turblen, troblen, 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 truble, troble, from Old French troble, from the verb.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: trŭbʹəl; IPA^(key): /ˈtɹʌb(ə)l/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈtɹʌb(ə)l/, /ˈtɹə-/

• Audio (GA)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌbəl
• Hyphenation: trou‧ble

Noun

trouble (countable and uncountable, plural troubles)

1. A distressing or dangerous situation.

   He was in trouble when the rain started.

2. A difficulty, problem, condition, or action contributing to such a situation.
   • 1667, John Milton, “Book XI”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:

     Lest the fiend […] some new trouble raise.

   • c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i]:

     Foul whisperings are abroad; unnatural deeds / Do breed unnatural troubles.

   The trouble was a leaking brake line.
   The trouble with that suggestion is that we lack the funds to put it in motion.
   The bridge column magnified the trouble with a slight tilt in the wrong direction.

3. A violent occurrence or event.
   • 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, chapter 7, in Mr. Pratt's Patients:

     “I don't know how you and the ‘head,’ as you call him, will get on, but I do know that if you call my duds a ‘livery’ again there'll be trouble. It's bad enough to go around togged out like a life saver on a drill day, but I can stand that 'cause I'm paid for it. What I won't stand is to have them togs called a livery. […]”

   the troubles in Northern Ireland

4. Efforts taken or expended, typically beyond the normal required.
   • 1850, William Cullen Bryant, Letters of a Traveller

     She never took the trouble to close them.

   • 1881, Robert Louis Stevenson, Virginibus Puerisque:

     Indeed, by the report of our elders, this nervous preparation for old age is only trouble thrown away.

   It's no trouble for me to edit it.

5. A malfunction.

   He's been in hospital with some heart trouble.   My old car has engine trouble.

6. Liability to punishment; conflict with authority.

   He had some trouble with the law.

7. (mining) A fault or interruption in a stratum.
8. (Cockney rhyming slang) Wife. Clipping of trouble and strife.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:difficult situation

Derived terms

• ask for trouble
• distrouble
• double trouble
• engine trouble
• for one's trouble
• get into trouble
• in trouble
• teething trouble, teething troubles
• The Troubles
• trouble and strife
• troubled
• trouble-free
• trouble in paradise
• troublemaker, trouble maker
• trouble-monger
• troubler
• troubleshoot
• troubleshooter
• troubleshooting
• troublesome
• trouble spot
• trubs
• women's troubles

 

Collocations

Verbs often used with "trouble"

make, spell, stir up, ask for, etc.

Descendants

• Jersey Dutch: tröbel

Translations

distressful or dangerous situation

• Albanian: hall (sq) m, telash (sq) f, barazhgë f
• Arabic: مُشْكِلَة‎ f (muškila), مَتاعِب‎ m pl (matāʕib)
• Armenian: նեղություն (hy) (nełutʿyun)
• Avar: балагь (balah)
• Belarusian: бяда́ (be) f (bjadá), непрые́мнасць f (njepryjémnascʹ), непрые́мнасьць f (njepryjémnasʹcʹ) (Taraškievica), пры́красць f (prýkrascʹ), го́ра (be) n (hóra)
• Bengali: তকলিফ (bn) (tokoliph)
• Bulgarian: беда́ (bg) f (bedá), неприя́тност (bg) f (neprijátnost)
• Catalan: problema (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 麻煩／麻烦 (zh) (máfán)

• Czech: potíž (cs) f, nepříjemnost f
• Dutch: zorg (nl), moeilijkheid (nl), moeite (nl), last (nl)
• East Central German: Aarchr m
• Finnish: hankaluudet (fi) pl, vaikeudet (fi) pl, pula (fi)
• French: peine (fr) f
• Galician: problema (gl) m
• Georgian: გასაჭირი (gasač̣iri), უსიამოვნება (usiamovneba)
• German: Ärger (de) m
• Gothic: 𐌳𐍂𐍉𐌱𐌽𐌰 m (drōbna), 𐌰𐌲𐌻𐍉 f (aglō)
• Greek: μπελάς (el) m (belás), φασαρία (el) f (fasaría), ταραχή (el) f (tarachí)

  Ancient: ἀνία f (anía), κακόν n (kakón)

• Hawaiian: pilikia
• Hindi: तकलीफ़ f (taklīf), कष्ट (hi) m (kaṣṭ), दिक़्क़त f (diqqat), दिक्कत (hi) f (dikkat), मुसीबत (hi) f (musībat)
• Hungarian: baj (hu), gond (hu)
• Irish: trioblóid f
• Italian: guaio (it) m, problema (it) m, impiccio (it) m, tumulto (it) m
• Japanese: 揉め事 (もめごと, momegoto), 厄介事 (やっかいごと, yakkaigoto), 迷惑 (ja) (めいわく, meiwaku)
• Latin: aerumna f
• Malayalam: കുഴപ്പം (ml) (kuḻappaṃ)
• Maori: moho, māreherehe
• Norman: pôïne f (Guernsey)
• Plautdietsch: Ploag f
• Polish: kłopoty pl, bieda (pl) f, nieprzyjemność (pl) f, przykrość (pl) f
• Portuguese: problema (pt) m, treta (pt) f
• Romanian: necaz (ro) n
• Russian: беда́ (ru) f (bedá), злоключе́ние (ru) n (zloključénije), неприя́тность (ru) f (neprijátnostʹ), го́ре (ru) n (góre), затрудне́ние (ru) n (zatrudnénije)
• Scottish Gaelic: dragh m, èiginn f, buaireas m, teanntachd f, trioblaid f
• Slovak: nepríjemnosť f, ťažkosti f pl
• Spanish: marrón (es), berenjenal
• Telugu: గొడవ (te) (goḍava)
• Ukrainian: ха́лепа f (xálepa), хале́па f (xalépa), біда́ (uk) f (bidá), неприє́мність f (nepryjémnistʹ), при́крість f (prýkristʹ), го́ре n (hóre)
• Urdu: تکلیف‎ f (taklīf), کشٹ‎ m (kaṣṭ)

difficulty

• Belarusian: ця́жкасць f (cjážkascʹ)
• Bulgarian: затрудне́ние (bg) n (zatrudnénie)
• Catalan: problema (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 困难 (zh) (kùnnán), 困難／困难 (zh) (kùnnán)

• Czech: obtížnost f
• Finnish: hankaluus (fi), ongelma (fi)
• French: mal (fr) m, problème (fr) m, emmerde (fr) f
• Galician: problema (gl) m
• Georgian: გასაჭირი (gasač̣iri), სირთულე (sirtule)
• German: Schwierigkeit (de) f
• Greek: μπελάς (el) m (belás)
• Hawaiian: pilikia
• Hungarian: nehézség (hu), gond (hu), probléma (hu), baj (hu)
• Irish: trioblóid f
• Italian: problema (it) m, difficoltà (it) f, dissesto (it) m
• Japanese: 心配事 (しんぱいごと, shimpaigoto), 問題 (ja) (もんだい, mondai)
• Korean: 문제 (ko) (munje), 곤란 (ko) (gollan)
• Latin: difficultās f
• Malayalam: കുഴപ്പം (ml) (kuḻappaṃ), പ്രശ്നം (ml) (praśnaṃ)
• Maori: raru, māreherehe, moho
• Persian: زحمت‎ (fa) (zahmat)
• Plautdietsch: Ploag f
• Polish: kłopot (pl) m, problem (pl) m, trudność (pl) f
• Portuguese: dificuldade (pt) f
• Russian: затрудне́ние (ru) n (zatrudnénije), тру́дность (ru) f (trúdnostʹ), хло́поты (ru) f pl (xlópoty)
• Scottish Gaelic: duilgheadas m, èiginn f, teanntachd f, trioblaid f
• Slovak: obtiažnosť f
• Spanish: dificultad (es) f, problema (es) m
• Swedish: problem (sv) n
• Tajik: заҳмат (zahmat)
• Turkish: başağrısı (tr), problem (tr), sıkıntı (tr)
• Ukrainian: тру́днощі f (trúdnošči)
• Vietnamese: rắc rối (vi)
• Walloon: rujhe (wa) f
• Welsh: trafferth f

violent occurrence

• Catalan: conflicte (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 冲突 (zh) (chōngtū), 衝突／冲突 (zh) (chōngtū)

• Finnish: levottomuudet (fi) pl, selkkaus (fi), tappelu (fi), mekkala (fi)
• Galician: problema (gl) m
• Greek: φασαρία (el) f (fasaría), ταραχή (el) f (tarachí)
• Hungarian: zavargás (hu)
• Italian: guaio (it) m, problema (it) m, grana (it) f
• Japanese: 揉め事 (もめごと, momegoto), 厄介事 (やっかいごと, yakkaigoto)
• Russian: беда́ (ru) f (bedá)
• Scottish Gaelic: buaireas m

effort

• Azerbaijani: zəhmət
• Bulgarian: уси́лие (bg) n (usílie)
• Catalan: molèstia (ca) f
• Finnish: vaiva (fi), vaivannäkö
• German: Anstrengung (de) f, Bemühung (de) f, Mühe (de) f
• Hungarian: fáradság (hu), fáradozás (hu), fáradalom (hu), utánajárás (hu)
• Italian: problema (it) m, impedimento (it) m, fastidio (it) m
• Japanese: 厄介 (ja) (やっかい, yakkai), 骨折り (ja) (ほねおり, honeori)
• Latin: opera (la) f, molimen n
• Persian: زحمت‎ (fa) (zahmat)
• Polish: trud (pl) m
• Russian: труд (ru) m (trud), уси́лие (ru) n (usílije), забо́ты (ru) f pl (zabóty), хло́поты (ru) f pl (xlópoty)
• Spanish: molestia (es) f, costo (es) m (Costa Rica)
• Tajik: заҳмат (zahmat)
• Turkish: efor (tr), gayret (tr)

malfunction

• Bulgarian: авария (bg) f (avarija), смущение (bg) n (smuštenie)
• Catalan: trastorn (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 故障 (zh) (gùzhàng)

• Finnish: häiriö (fi), ongelma (fi)
• Galician: problema (gl) m
• German: Störung (de) f
• Greek: πρόβλημα (el) n (próvlima)
• Hungarian: zavar (hu), (also medically) probléma (hu), (medically) panasz (hu), betegség (hu), bántalom (hu)
• Italian: problema (it) m, fastidio (it) m
• Japanese: 障害 (ja) (しょうがい, shōgai), 問題 (ja) (もんだい, mondai)
• Russian: непола́дки (ru) m pl (nepoládki), перебо́й (ru) m (perebój)
• Scottish Gaelic: trioblaid f
• Turkish: arıza (tr)
• Walloon: mehin (wa) m

liability for punishment

• Catalan: conflicte (ca) m
• Finnish: ongelma (fi), vaikeudet (fi) pl
• Galician: problema (gl) m
• Greek: προβλήματα (el) n pl (provlímata)
• Italian: guaio (it) m, contrasto (it) m, intoppo (it) m
• Russian: пробле́мы (ru) f pl (problémy)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Albanian: ^{(please verify)} mund (sq) m
• Arabic: ^{(please verify)} إِضْطِرَاب‎ m (ʔiḍṭirāb)
• Dutch: ^{(please verify)} last (nl), ^{(please verify)} zorg (nl), ^{(please verify)} probleem (nl) n
• French: ^{(please verify)} peine (fr) f, ^{(please verify)} souci (fr)
• German: ^{(please verify)} Mühe (de) f, ^{(please verify)} Sorge (de) f, ^{(please verify)} Ärger (de) m, ^{(please verify)} Ungemach (de) n
• Hiligaynon: ^{(please verify)} problema
• Irish: ^{(please verify)} aimpléis f
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} pena (it) f, ^{(please verify)} disturbo (it) m, ^{(please verify)} disagio (it) m
• Korean: ^{(please verify)} 걱정 (ko) (geokjeong), ^{(please verify)} 곤란 (ko)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: ^{(please verify)} چەرمەسەری‎ (çermeserî)

• Mandarin: ^{(please verify)} 麻煩／麻烦 (zh) (máfan), ^{(please verify)} 麻烦 (zh) (máfán)
• Old Norse: ^{(please verify)} úmaki m, ^{(please verify)} úmak n
• Romanian: ^{(please verify)} păs (ro), ^{(please verify)} problemă (ro)
• Santali: ^{(please verify)} ᱚᱡᱚᱨ (ôjôr)
• Serbo-Croatian: ^{(please verify)} muka (sh) f, ^{(please verify)} trud (sh) m, ^{(please verify)} poteškoća, ^{(please verify)} napor (sh), ^{(please verify)} problem (sh), ^{(please verify)} nevolja (sh), ^{(please verify)} neprilika (sh)
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} problema (es) f, ^{(please verify)} pena (es) f
• Swahili: ^{(please verify)} vurugu (sw), ^{(please verify)} gaya (sw)
• Swedish: ^{(please verify)} besvär (sv), ^{(please verify)} möda (sv)
• Tagalog: ^{(please verify)} problema (tl), ^{(please verify)} hirap
• Telugu: ^{(please verify)} ఇబ్బంది (te) (ibbandi)

See also

• Appendix:Collocations of do, have, make, and take for uses and meaning of trouble collocated with these words.

Verb

trouble (third-person singular simple present troubles, present participle troubling, simple past and past participle troubled)

1. (transitive, now rare) To disturb, stir up, agitate (a medium, especially water).
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, John 5:4:

     For an Angel went downe at a certaine season into the poole, and troubled the water:

   • 1667, John Milton, “Book X”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC, line 1100:

     God looking forth will trouble all his Hoſt

3. (transitive) To mentally distress; to cause (someone) to be anxious or perplexed.

   What she said about narcissism is troubling me.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, John 12:27:

     Now is my soule troubled, and what shall I say? Father, saue me from this houre, but for this cause came I vnto this houre.

   • c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i], page 281, column 2:

     Take the Boy to you: he ſo troubles me, / 'Tis paſt enduring.

   • 1693, [John Locke], “§65”, in Some Thoughts Concerning Education, London: […] A[wnsham] and J[ohn] Churchill, […], →OCLC, page 68:

     Never trouble your ſelf about thoſe Faults in them, which you know Age will cure.

4. (transitive) In weaker sense: to bother or inconvenience.

   I will not trouble you to deliver the letter.

5. (reflexive or intransitive) To take pains to do something.

   I won't trouble to post the letter today; I can do it tomorrow.

6. (intransitive) To worry; to be anxious.
   • 1946, Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, I.26:

     Why trouble about the future? It is wholly uncertain.

Related terms

• turbid
• turbulent

Descendants

• → Jersey Dutch: tröble

Translations

to bother; to annoy

• Arabic:

  Egyptian Arabic: كلف‎ (kallif)

• Bulgarian: безпокоя (bg) (bezpokoja), тревожа (bg) (trevoža)
• Cherokee: ᎠᏕᏯᏙᏗᎭ (adeyadodiha)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 麻煩／麻烦 (zh) (máfán), 騷攪／骚搅 (zh) (sāojiǎo)

• Finnish: vaivata (fi)
• French: troubler (fr), déranger (fr), embêter (fr)
• German: beunruhigen (de), belästigen (de), bekümmern (de)
• Gothic: 𐌳𐍂𐌰𐌹𐌱𐌾𐌰𐌽 (draibjan)
• Greek: ενοχλώ (el) (enochló)

  Ancient: σκύλλω (skúllō), ὀχλέω (okhléō)

• Hungarian: zavar (hu), aggaszt (hu), fáraszt (hu)
• Irish: cráigh
• Italian: esagitare, infastidire (it), disturbare (it), agitare (it)
• Japanese: 手数を掛ける (てすうをかける, tesū-o kakeru), 面倒を掛ける (めんどうをかける, mendō-o kakeru)
• Kabuverdianu: ardiga
• Latvian: traucēt
• Polish: przeszkadzać (pl), dokuczać (pl), niepokoić (pl)
• Portuguese: incomodar (pt), irritar (pt), molestar (pt)
• Russian: беспоко́ить (ru) impf (bespokóitʹ), побеспоко́ить (ru) pf (pobespokóitʹ), обеспоко́ить (ru) pf (obespokóitʹ), трево́жить (ru) impf (trevóžitʹ), потрево́жить (ru) pf (potrevóžitʹ), встрево́жить (ru) pf (vstrevóžitʹ), волнова́ть (ru) impf (volnovátʹ), взволнова́ть (ru) pf (vzvolnovátʹ)
• Sanskrit: बाधति (bādhati)
• Scottish Gaelic: buair, cuir dragh air
• Spanish: molestar (es), fastidiar (es), agobiar (es)
• Swahili: kusumbua
• Tagalog: istorbo, pahirapan

Further reading

• “trouble”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “trouble”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• -buterol, Boulter, boulter

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tʁubl/

• Audio

  (file)

Etymology 1

Deverbal from troubler or from Old French troble.

Noun

trouble m (plural troubles)

1. trouble
2. (medicine, psychiatry) disorder

Derived terms

• fauteur de troubles

 

(medicine, psychiatry):

• trouble bipolaire
• trouble de la personnalité
• trouble de l'érection
• trouble de l'humeur
• trouble du sommeil
• trouble mental
• trouble obsessionnel compulsif
• trouble psychiatrique
• trouble psychique

 

Etymology 2

Inherited from Old French troble, probably from a Vulgar Latin *turbulus (with metathesis), itself perhaps an alteration of Latin turbidus with influence from turbulentus; cf. also turbula. Compare Catalan tèrbol, Romanian tulbure.

Adjective

trouble (plural troubles)

1. (of a liquid) murky, turbid, muddy, thick, clouded, cloudy; not clear

Derived terms

• pêcher en eau trouble

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

trouble

1. inflection of troubler:
   1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
   2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

• “trouble”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.