trouble

Etymology

Verb is from Middle English troublen, trublen, turblen, troblen, 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 truble, troble, from Old French troble, from the verb.

noun

1. A distressing or dangerous situation.
   He was in trouble when the rain started.
2. A difficulty, problem, condition, or action contributing to such a situation.
   The trouble was a leaking brake line. The trouble with that suggestion is that we lack the funds to put it in motion. The bridge column magnified the trouble with a slight tilt in the wrong direction.
3. A person liable to place others or themself in such a situation.
   'Cause I knew you were trouble when you walked in So shame on me no-ow 2021, Taylor Swift, Max Martin, Shellback (lyrics and music), “I Knew You Were Trouble (Taylor's Version)”, in Red (Taylor's Version), performed by Taylor Swift
4. A violent occurrence or event.
   “I don't know how you and the ‘head,’ as you call him, will get on, but I do know that if you call my duds a ‘livery’ again there'll be trouble. It's bad enough to go around togged out like a life saver on a drill day, but I can stand that 'cause I'm paid for it. What I won't stand is to have them togs called a livery. […]” 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, chapter 7, in Mr. Pratt's Patients
   the troubles in Northern Ireland
5. Efforts taken or expended, typically beyond the normal required.
   She never took the trouble to close them. 1850, William Cullen Bryant, Letters of a Traveller
   Indeed, by the report of our elders, this nervous preparation for old age is only trouble thrown away. 1881, Robert Louis Stevenson, Virginibus Puerisque
   It's no trouble for me to edit it.
6. A malfunction.
   He's been in hospital with some heart trouble. My old car has engine trouble.
7. Liability to punishment; conflict with authority.
   He had some trouble with the law.
8. (mining) A fault or interruption in a stratum.
9. (Cockney rhyming slang) Wife. Clipping of trouble and strife.

verb

1. (transitive, now rare) To disturb, stir up, agitate (a medium, especially water).
2. (transitive) To mentally distress; to cause (someone) to be anxious or perplexed.
   What she said about narcissism is troubling me.
3. (transitive) In weaker sense: to bother or inconvenience.
   I will not trouble you to deliver the letter.
4. (reflexive or intransitive) To take pains to do something.
   I won't trouble to post the letter today; I can do it tomorrow.
5. (intransitive) To worry; to be anxious.
   Why trouble about the future? It is wholly uncertain. 1946, Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, I.26