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in trouble

 - 2 dictionary results
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trou⋅ble

  [truhb-uhl] verb, -bled, -bling, noun
Use in trouble in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to disturb the mental calm and contentment of; worry; distress; agitate.
2. to put to inconvenience, exertion, pains, or the like: May I trouble you to shut the door?
3. to cause bodily pain, discomfort, or disorder to; afflict: to be troubled by arthritis.
4. to annoy, vex, or bother: Don't trouble her with petty complaints now.
5. to disturb, agitate, or stir up so as to make turbid, as water or wine: A heavy gale troubled the ocean waters.
–verb (used without object)
6. to put oneself to inconvenience, extra effort, or the like.
7. to be distressed or agitated mentally; worry: She always troubled over her son's solitariness.
–noun
8. difficulty, annoyance, or harassment: It would be no trouble at all to advise you.
9. unfortunate or distressing position, circumstance, or occurrence; misfortune: Financial trouble may threaten security.
10. civil disorder, disturbance, or conflict: political trouble in the new republic; labor troubles.
11. a physical disorder, disease, ailment, etc.; ill health: heart trouble; stomach trouble.
12. mental or emotional disturbance or distress; worry: Trouble and woe were her lot in life.
13. an instance of this: some secret trouble weighing on his mind; a mother who shares all her children's troubles.
14. effort, exertion, or pains in doing something; inconvenience endured in accomplishing some action, deed, etc.: The results were worth the trouble it took.
15. an objectionable feature; problem; drawback: The trouble with your proposal is that it would be too costly to implement.
16. something or someone that is a cause or source of disturbance, distress, annoyance, etc.
17. a personal habit or trait that is a disadvantage or a cause of mental distress: His greatest trouble is oversensitivity.
18. the Troubles,
a. the violence and civil war in Ireland, 1920–22.
b. the conflict between Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland, beginning in 1969.
—Idiom
19. in trouble, Informal. pregnant out of wedlock (used as a euphemism).
Origin:
1175–1225; (v.) ME troublen < OF troubler < VL *turbulare, deriv. of *turbulus turbid, back formation from L turbulentus turbulent; (n.) ME < MF, deriv. of troubler

Related forms:
trou⋅bled⋅ly, adverb
trou⋅bled⋅ness, noun
troubler, noun
trou⋅bling⋅ly, adverb

Synonyms:
1. concern, upset, confuse. 4. pester, plague, fret, torment, hector, harass, badger. 12. concern, grief, agitation, care, suffering. 14. See care. 15. trial, tribulation, affliction, misfortune.

Antonyms:
1. mollify; delight.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Word Origin & History

trouble  (v.)
c.1225, from O.Fr. trubler (11c.), metathesis of turbler, from V.L. *turbulare, from L.L. turbidare "to trouble, make turbid," from L. turbidus (see turbid). The noun is attested from c.1230; troublesome is attested by 1548. Troubled in ref. to waters, etc., is from 1388. A trouble-shooter (1905) was originally one who works on telegraph or telephone lines. The Troubles in ref. to times of violence and unrest in Ireland is attested from 1880, in ref. to the rebellion of 1641.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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