trouble

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noun

1 problems

ADJECTIVE

▪ bad, big, deep, desperate (esp. BrE), dire, huge (esp. AmE), major, real, serious, terrible

▪

We're in deep trouble now!

▪ endless

▪ potential

▪ current, recent

▪ ongoing

▪ domestic, family, marital

▪ financial, money

▪

She got into serious financial trouble after running up large debts.

▪ legal, political

▪ back, hamstring (sports), heart, etc.

▪ boyfriend, girl, man, etc.

▪

He was obviously upset, and muttered something about girlfriend trouble.

▪ car, engine

▪ foul (AmE) (in basketball)

▪

Most of the game we were in foul trouble.

VERB + TROUBLE

▪ mean, spell

▪

She knew that a hygiene inspection could spell trouble for her restaurant.

▪ have, suffer from

▪

He has had back trouble since changing jobs.

▪ get (yourself) into, run into

▪

The company soon ran into financial trouble.

▪ keep out of, stay out of

▪ cause, lead to

▪

The printer's causing trouble again.

▪ avoid

▪ forget, leave behind, put behind you

▪

They are hoping to leave their recent troubles behind.

▪

He put his past troubles behind him and built up a successful new career.

TROUBLE + VERB

▪ come

▪

Trouble often comes when you're least expecting it.

▪ begin, start

▪

Her troubles began last year when she lost her job.

PREPOSITION

▪ in trouble

▪

When she saw the teacher coming she knew she was in big trouble.

▪ trouble for

▪

He got into trouble for not doing his homework.

▪ trouble with

▪

I've had endless trouble with my car.

▪

He is in trouble with the law again.

PHRASES

▪ a cause of trouble, a source of trouble

▪ a history of … trouble

▪

She has a history of back trouble.

▪ have trouble doing sth

▪

I've had trouble sleeping recently.

▪

He was having trouble breathing.

▪ in times of trouble

▪

In times of trouble she always turns to her mother.

▪ teething troubles (figurative, esp. BrE)

▪

After some teething troubles, the system is now up and running.

▪ trouble ahead

▪

I can see trouble ahead.

2 arguing/violence

ADJECTIVE

▪ crowd (esp. BrE)

VERB + TROUBLE

▪ cause, make

▪

He had a reputation for making trouble in the classroom.

▪ start

▪

Just don't start any trouble.

▪ be asking for, be looking for, court, stir up

▪

He was asking for trouble when he insulted their country.

▪

Fans wandered the town after the match looking for trouble.

▪ want

▪

Look, we don't want any trouble, so we'll leave.

TROUBLE + VERB

▪ be brewing

▪

There was trouble brewing among the workforce.

▪ begin, blow up (BrE), flare (BrE), start

▪

Trouble blew up when the gang was refused entry to a nightclub.

▪

We left before the trouble started.

TROUBLE + NOUN

▪ spot

▪

Extra journalists have been sent to the main trouble spots.

PREPOSITION

▪ trouble between

▪

trouble between the races

3 extra work

ADJECTIVE

▪ considerable, enormous (esp. BrE), great

▪

They went to enormous trouble to make her stay a pleasant one.

VERB + TROUBLE

▪ bring (sb), cause (sb), give sb, make, put sb to

▪

I don't want to make trouble for her.

▪

I don't want to put you to any trouble.

▪ go to, take

▪

We took the trouble to plan our route in advance.

▪ be worth

▪

Do you think it's worth the trouble of booking seats in advance?

▪ save sb

▪

Why don't we bring a pizza to save you the trouble of cooking?

▪ thank sb for

▪

Thank you very much for all your trouble.

PHRASES

▪ be more trouble than it's worth

▪

Growing your own vegetables is more trouble than it's worth.

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verb

ADVERB

▪ deeply, greatly

▪

This latest news troubled him deeply.

VERB + TROUBLE

▪ be sorry to, hate to

▪

I hate to trouble you, but could you move your car?

PHRASES

▪ be troubled with sth

▪

He has been troubled with a knee injury.

Trouble is used with these nouns as the subject: ↑conscience, ↑injury

Trouble is used with these nouns as the object: ↑conscience