Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary - trouble

(troubles, troubling, troubled) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. You can refer to problems or difficulties as trouble. I had trouble parking... You’ve caused us a lot of trouble... The plane developed engine trouble soon after taking off... The crew are in serious trouble in 50-knot winds and huge seas... The Sullivans continued to have financial troubles. N-UNCOUNT: oft in N, also N in pl 2. If you say that one aspect of a situation is the trouble, you mean that it is the aspect which is causing problems or making the situation unsatisfactory. The trouble is that these restrictions have remained while other things have changed... Your trouble is that you can’t take rejection. = problem N-SING: usu the N 3. Your troubles are the things that you are worried about. She kept her troubles to herself. N-PLURAL: usu poss N 4. If you have kidney trouble or back trouble, for example, there is something wrong with your kidneys or your back. Her husband had never before had any heart trouble... He began to have trouble with his right knee. N-UNCOUNT: n N, N with n 5. If there is trouble somewhere, especially in a public place, there is fighting or rioting there. Riot police are being deployed throughout the city to prevent any trouble... ...the first victim of the troubles in Northern Ireland. N-UNCOUNT: also N in pl 6. If you tell someone that it is no trouble to do something for them, you are saying politely that you can or will do it, because it is easy or convenient for you. It’s no trouble at all; on the contrary, it will be a great pleasure to help you... = bother N-UNCOUNT: with brd-neg, oft N to-inf c darkgreen]politeness 7. If you say that a person or animal is no trouble, you mean that they are very easy to look after. My little grandson is no trouble at all, but his 6-year-old elder sister is rude and selfish. N-UNCOUNT: with brd-neg 8. If something troubles you, it makes you feel rather worried. Is anything troubling you?... He was troubled by the lifestyle of his son. VERB: V n, V n • troubling But most troubling of all was the simple fact that nobody knew what was going on. ADJ 9. If a part of your body troubles you, it causes you physical pain or discomfort. The ulcer had been troubling her for several years. VERB: V n 10. If you say that someone does not trouble to do something, you are critical of them because they do not behave in the way that they should do, and you think that this would require very little effort. He yawns, not troubling to cover his mouth... He hadn’t troubled himself to check his mirrors... VERB: with brd-neg, V to-inf, V pron-refl to-inf c darkgreen]disapproval 11. You use trouble in expressions such as I’m sorry to trouble you when you are apologizing to someone for disturbing them in order to ask them something. I’m sorry to trouble you, but I wondered if by any chance you know where he is... = bother VERB c darkgreen]formulae 12. If someone is in trouble, they are in a situation in which a person in authority is angry with them or is likely to punish them because they have done something wrong. He was in trouble with his teachers... PHRASE: usu v-link PHR, PHR after v 13. If you take the trouble to do something, you do something which requires a small amount of additional effort. He did not take the trouble to see the film before he attacked it. PHRASE: V inflects, usu PHR to-inf, oft with brd-neg 14. If you say that someone or something is more trouble than they are worth, you mean that they cause you a lot of problems or take a lot of time and effort and you do not achieve or gain very much in return. Some grumbled that Johnson was more trouble than he was worth... PHRASE: V inflects, v-link PHR