trouble
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: enpr: trŭbʹəl
ipa: /ˈtɹʌb(ə)l/
ipa: /ˈtɹʌb(ə)l/
ipa: /ˈtɹə-/
rhymes: -ʌbəl
Forms: form: troubles
form: troubling
form: troubled
form: troubled
Etymology: Verb is from Middle English troublen, trouble, 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 trouble, troble, from Old French troble, from the verb.
Senses: examples: text: For an Angel went downe at a certaine season into the poole, and troubled the water:
ref: 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, John 5:4:
text: God looking forth will trouble all his Hoſt
ref: 1667, John Milton, “Book X”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC, line 1100:
synonyms: inturbidate
muddle
roil
stir
glosses: To disturb, stir up, agitate (a medium, especially water).
examples: text: What she said about narcissism is troubling me.
text: 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.
ref: 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, John 12:27:
text: Take the Boy to you: he ſo troubles me, / ’Tis paſt enduring.
ref: 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:
text: Never trouble your ſelf about thoſe Faults in them, which you know Age will cure.
ref: 1693, [John Locke], “§65”, in Some Thoughts Concerning Education, London: […] A[wnsham] and J[ohn] Churchill, […], →OCLC, page 68:
synonyms: word: distress
word: torment
word: afflict
word: aggrieve
word: plague
word: atray
word: cag
word: distress
word: engrieve
word: grame
word: harass
word: harrow
word: harry
word: torment
word: trouble
word: vex
word: rend
word: wring
glosses: To mentally distress; to cause (someone) to be anxious or perplexed.
examples: text: I will not trouble you to deliver the letter.
synonyms: word: discommode
word: hassle
word: incommode
word: aggravate
word: annoy
word: rankle
word: ruffle
word: sting
word: antagonize
word: bother
word: disgruntle
word: botherate
word: bug
word: get
word: grate
word: burn up
word: bedevil
word: cheese off
word: devil
word: exasperate
word: frustrate
word: get up
word: grotch
word: hack off
word: hassle
word: irk
word: irritate
word: jazz
word: molest
word: mommick
word: nark
word: nerve
word: pee off
word: peeve
word: persecute
word: pique
word: piss off
word: provoke
word: rile
word: rile up
word: roil
word: storm
word: test someone's patience
word: tick off
word: trouble
word: try one's patience
word: vex
word: wind up
word: Idioms:
word: boil someone's piss
word: chap someone's hide
word: get on someone's nerves
word: get on someone's tits
word: get on someone's wick
word: get someone's back up
word: get someone's dander up
word: get someone's goat
word: get someone's Irish up
word: get someone's nanny
word: get someone's nanny-goat
word: get under one's goat
word: get under someone's skin
word: give someone the shits
word: grind one's gears
word: harsh one's mellow
word: put someone's back up
word: raise someone's hackles
word: rub someone the wrong way
word: rub up the wrong way
word: ruffle someone's feathers
word: tee off
word: torque off
glosses: In weaker sense: to bother or inconvenience.
examples: text: My bad knee is troubling me.
glosses: To physically afflict.
raw_tags: of ailments
examples: text: I won’t trouble to post the letter today; I can do it tomorrow.
text: « The hut’s not very tidy, if you don’t mind, » he said. « I cleared it what I could. » / « But I didn’t want you to trouble! » she said.
ref: 1928, D[avid] H[erbert] Lawrence, chapter X, in Lady Chatterley’s Lover, [Germany?]: Privately printed, →OCLC, page 132:
synonyms: make an effort
take great pains
glosses: To take pains (to do something); to bother.
examples: text: Why trouble about the future? It is wholly uncertain.
ref: 1946, Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, I.26:
synonyms: angst
anxietize
cark
fret
glosses: To worry; to be anxious.
Derived terms: trouble the scorers
Related terms: turbid
turbulent