trouble
noun /ˈtrʌbl/
/ˈtrʌbl/
Idioms - [uncountable, countable] a problem, worry, difficulty, etc. or a situation causing this
- We have trouble getting staff.
- to make/cause/spell trouble for somebody
- He could make trouble for me if he wanted to.
- Sorry, I didn't mean to cause any trouble.
- Falling shark numbers could spell (= cause) big trouble for ocean ecosystems.
- trouble with somebody/something The trouble with you is you don't really want to work.
- We've never had much trouble with vandals around here.
- Her trouble is she's incapable of making a decision.
- The trouble is (= what is difficult is) there aren't any trains at that time.
- The only trouble is we won't be here then.
- No, I don't know his number—I have quite enough trouble remembering my own.
- financial troubles
- She was on the phone for an hour telling me her troubles.
- Our troubles aren't over yet.
- Finance was the least of his troubles.
- There was trouble brewing (= a problem was developing) among the workforce.
Extra ExamplesTopics Difficulty and failurea2- I've had trouble sleeping recently.
- I can see trouble ahead.
- He had a reputation for making trouble in the classroom.
- In times of trouble she always turns to her mother.
- He was obviously upset, and muttered something about girlfriend trouble.
- Her troubles began last year when she lost her job.
- He put his past troubles behind him and built up a successful new career.
- The printer's causing trouble again.
- I've had endless trouble with my car.
- Trouble often comes when you're least expecting it.
- I've never been one to run away from trouble.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- bad
- big
- deep
- …
- mean
- spell
- have
- …
- come
- begin
- start
- …
- in trouble
- trouble for
- trouble with
- …
- a cause of trouble
- a source of trouble
- a history of… trouble
- …
- [uncountable] a situation in which you can be criticized or punished
- in trouble If I don't get this finished in time, I'll be in trouble.
- We're in deep/serious trouble now!
- When she saw the teacher coming she knew she was in big trouble.
- in trouble with somebody He's in trouble with the police.
- My brother was always getting me into trouble with my parents.
- out of trouble Did you manage to stay out of trouble?
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- bad
- big
- deep
- …
- mean
- spell
- have
- …
- come
- begin
- start
- …
- in trouble
- trouble for
- trouble with
- …
- a cause of trouble
- a source of trouble
- a history of… trouble
- …
- [uncountable] a situation that is difficult or dangerous
- The company ran into trouble early on, when a major order was cancelled.
- A yachtsman got into trouble off the coast and had to be rescued.
- She got into serious financial trouble after running up large debts.
- [uncountable] an angry or violent situation
- The police were expecting trouble after the match.
- If you're not in by midnight, there'll be trouble (= I'll be very angry).
- He had to throw out a few drunks who were causing trouble in the bar.
Extra ExamplesTopics Feelingsb1- Just don't start any trouble.
- Look, we don't want any trouble, so we'll leave.
- Trouble blew up when the gang was refused entry to a nightclub.
- We left before the trouble started.
- trouble between the races
- Troops were stationed nearby in case of crowd trouble.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- crowd
- cause
- make
- start
- …
- be brewing
- begin
- blow up
- …
- spot
- trouble between
- [uncountable] illness or pain
- back trouble
- He suffers from heart trouble.
- I've been having trouble with my knee.
Synonyms illnessillnessTopics Illnessb1- sickness
- ill health
- trouble
- illness the state of being physically or mentally ill
- sickness illness; bad health:
- I recommend you get insurance against sickness and unemployment.
- ill health (rather formal) the state of being physically ill or having lots of health problems:
- She resigned because of ill health.
- trouble illness or pain:
- heart trouble.
- chronic illness/sickness/ill health
- to suffer from illness/sickness/ill health/heart, etc. trouble
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- bad
- big
- deep
- …
- mean
- spell
- have
- …
- come
- begin
- start
- …
- in trouble
- trouble for
- trouble with
- …
- a cause of trouble
- a source of trouble
- a history of… trouble
- …
- [uncountable] something that is wrong with a machine, vehicle, etc.
- mechanical trouble
- My car's been having engine trouble.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- bad
- big
- deep
- …
- mean
- spell
- have
- …
- come
- begin
- start
- …
- in trouble
- trouble for
- trouble with
- …
- a cause of trouble
- a source of trouble
- a history of… trouble
- …
- [uncountable] extra effort or work synonym bother
- I don't want to put you to a lot of trouble.
- I'll get it if you like, that will save you the trouble of going out.
- Making your own yogurt is more trouble than it's worth.
- She went to a lot of trouble to find the book for me.
- Nothing is ever too much trouble for her (= she's always ready to help).
- I can call back later—it's no trouble (= I don't mind).
- I hope the children weren't too much trouble.
- It is worth taking the trouble to read the introduction.
- He thanked me for my trouble and left.
- I never meant to cause you any trouble .
Extra Examples- Do you think it's worth the trouble of booking seats in advance?
- They went to enormous trouble to make her stay a pleasant one.
- Why don't we bring a pizza to save you the trouble of cooking?
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- considerable
- enormous
- great
- …
- bring (somebody)
- cause (somebody)
- give somebody
- …
- be more trouble than it’s worth
problem/worry
difficult/violent situation
illness/pain
with machine
extra effort
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French truble (noun), trubler (verb), based on Latin turbidus, from turba ‘a crowd, a disturbance’.
Idioms
be asking for trouble | be asking for it
- (informal) to behave in a way that is very likely to result in trouble
- He was asking for trouble when he insulted their country.
get somebody into trouble
- (old-fashioned) to make a woman who is not married pregnant
give (somebody) (some, no, any, etc.) trouble
- to cause problems or difficulties
- My back's been giving me a lot of trouble lately.
- The children didn't give me any trouble at all when we were out.
look for trouble
- to behave in a way that is likely to cause an argument, violence, etc.
- Drunken youths hang around outside looking for trouble.
take trouble over/with something | take trouble doing/to do something
- to try hard to do something well
- They take a lot of trouble to find the right person for the right job.
take the trouble to do something
- to do something even though it involves effort or difficulty synonym effort (1)
- She didn't even take the trouble to find out how to spell my name.
a trouble shared is a trouble halved
- (saying) if you talk to somebody about your problems and worries, instead of keeping them to yourself, they seem less serious