1. A state of distress, affliction, difficulty, or need: tried to console them in their trouble; got in trouble with the police.2. A distressing or difficult circumstance or situation: I've had troubles ever since I took this job.3. A cause or source of distress, disturbance, or difficulty: The new recruits were a trouble to him.4. Effort, especially when inconvenient or bothersome: went to a lot of trouble to find this book.5. A condition of pain, disease, or malfunction: heart trouble; car trouble.6a. Public unrest or disorder. b. An instance of this; a disturbance. c.Troubles Any of various conflicts or rebellions in Ireland or Northern Ireland, especially the period of social unrest in Northern Ireland beginning in 1969.
VERB:
Inflected forms: trou·bled, trou·bling, trou·bles
TRANSITIVE VERB:
1. To agitate; stir up. 2. To afflict with pain or discomfort. 3. To cause emotional strain or anxiety to; worry or distress. 4. To inconvenience; bother: May I trouble you for directions?
INTRANSITIVE VERB:
To take pains: They trouble over every detail.
ETYMOLOGY:
Middle English, from Old French, from troubler, to trouble, from Vulgar Latin *turbulre, alteration (influenced by Latin turbula, small group, diminutive of turba, crowd) of Late Latin turbidre, from Latin turbidus, confused. See turbid.
OTHER FORMS:
troubler —NOUN troubling·ly —ADVERB
SYNONYMS:
trouble, ail, distress, worry These verbs mean to cause anxious uneasiness in: His behavior troubles his parents. What problems are ailing you? The bad news distressed us. Her high fever worries the doctor.
tr
b
l
re, alteration (influenced by Latin turbula, small group, diminutive of turba, crowd) of Late Latin turbid
