Synonyms and antonyms of To cause problems for someone or something in British Thesaurus

let down ()

to make someone or something less likely to be successful or effective

hold back ()

to stop someone from being as successful as they should

embarrass (verb)

to cause problems for someone, especially an organization or politician

inhibit (verb)

to make it difficult for someone to do something

burden (verb)

to create a problem or serious responsibility for someone

plague (verb)

to cause a lot of problems for someone or something for a long period of time

inconvenience (verb)

to cause difficulties for someone

disadvantage (verb)

to make it more difficult for someone or something to succeed than other people or things

throttle (verb)

to create problems that make it very difficult for something to continue or to develop

put someone to trouble/bother/inconvenience ()

to cause problems or difficulties for someone by making them do something for you

be a bind (informal)

informal to be annoying, difficult, or not convenient

be a bugger (British)

British to be difficult or annoying

bedevil (verb)

formal to cause a lot of problems for someone or something

beset (verb)

formal to cause someone difficulty or danger over a period of time

be someone’s undoing ()

to be the cause of someone’s failure

betray (verb)

if you betray someone’s trust, you do harm to them when they have trusted you

be/work to someone’s disadvantage ()

to make someone unlikely to succeed

be worse than useless ()

to be annoying and cause problems because of being useless

blow something sky-high ()

to completely spoil a situation or cause a lot of problems

blow up in someone’s face (informal)

informal if your plans blow up in your face, they do not happen as you expected and cause a lot of problems

brew up ()

to create a situation that causes difficulty, or to develop as a situation that will cause difficulty

bring up against ()

to make someone have to deal with something

bugger about (British)

Britishimpolite to cause problems for someone

carry (verb)

if something carries a danger, it might cause something bad to happen

catch out ()

to put someone in an unpleasant or difficult situation that they are not prepared for

condemn (verb)

if something condemns you to an unpleasant situation, it forces you to experience it

consign to ()

to put someone in an unpleasant situation that usually lasts a long time

conspire (verb)

if events conspire to produce a particular situation, they seem to be deliberately working together to cause problems for you

convulse (verb)

mainly journalism to cause major problems or serious harm to someone or something

cook someone’s goose ()

to cause a lot of problems for someone, or to spoil their plans

corner (verb)

to put someone in a situation where they have to do something that you want

cost someone dear ()

to cause a lot of problems for someone, or to make them lose a lot of money

count against ()

to be a disadvantage in a particular situation

defeat (verb)

if something defeats you, it is so difficult that you are unable to do it

destroy (verb)

to cause such severe problems for someone that their life is completely spoilt

develop (verb)

to begin to be a problem or cause difficulties

dog (verb)

to cause trouble for someone over a long period of time

drop someone in it ()

to cause trouble for someone, especially by telling someone else that they have done something wrong

encumber (verb)

formal to make it more difficult for someone to do something or for something to develop

endanger (verb)

to put someone or something into a situation where they might be harmed or damaged

entangle (verb)

to involve someone in a difficult or complicated situation that is hard to escape from

entrap (verb)

to put someone in a dangerous situation that is difficult to escape from

expose (verb)

to fail to protect someone or something from something harmful or dangerous

handicap (verb)

to give someone a disadvantage

haunt (verb)

to continue to cause problems for a person or organization for a long time

have its/your moments ()

to sometimes have problems or cause trouble

impede (verb)

formal to make it more difficult for someone to do something or more difficult for something to happen

imperil (verb)

very formal to put someone or something in danger

knock back (British)

British to cause problems or delays for someone

land someone in it ()

to cause problems for someone, especially by talking about what they have said or done

lay someone open to something ()

to provide a good reason for criticizing, blaming, or attacking someone

lead someone a merry dance ()

to deliberately waste someone’s time and cause them trouble

leave someone high and dry ()

to put someone in a very difficult or unpleasant situation that they cannot escape from

leave someone to the (tender) mercies of ()

to put someone into a situation where they could be treated in a strict or unfair way by someone or something

make a nuisance of yourself ()

to do something that causes difficulty or trouble for other people

make demands on ()

to be a lot for someone or something to deal with

make life/things difficult (for someone) ()

to cause problems for someone

make someone’s life a misery ()

to cause someone to suffer or be unhappy for a long period

make waves ()

to cause problems by making suggestions or criticisms

militate against ()

to make something more difficult to do or less likely to happen

move/shift the goalposts ()

to change the rules and make it difficult for people to achieve something or to know what to do

muck about ()

to cause trouble or problems for someone

pitchfork (verb)

to put someone into a new and unpleasant situation when they were not expecting it

pitch into ()

to put someone in a new situation, especially when they were not expecting it

place (verb)

to put someone in a particular situation or state, especially a difficult or unpleasant one

play (merry) hell with ()

to cause trouble for someone or something

pose (verb)

to present a difficult or dangerous situation

pull the rug (out) from under someone ()

to suddenly stop supporting someone

put/set the cat among the pigeons ()

to cause trouble by doing or saying something

put someone off their stride ()

to upset or trouble someone

put yourself out (for someone) ()

to cause problems or difficulties for someone by making them do something for you

raise hell ()

to make a lot of noise or trouble

rear its (ugly) head ()

to appear and cause problems

reduce someone to tears/silence ()

to force someone into an unpleasant state or situation

rock the boat ()

to cause problems by changing a situation that is considered satisfactory

rumble on ()

to continue to cause trouble

scourge (verb)

formal to cause a lot of trouble or harm to people

seal someone’s fate ()

to show or decide that something bad will definitely happen to someone

sell someone down the river ()

to allow someone who trusts you to be harmed so that you can get an advantage for yourself

something gets on top of you ()

if a problem or difficult situation gets on top of you, you become unable to deal with it effectively

spite (verb)

to deliberately upset someone or cause them problems

squeeze (verb)

to make someone have financial trouble, for example by raising prices, cutting a supply of money, or increasing competition

stir up a hornet’s nest ()

to cause a situation that makes people very angry or upset

stymie (verb)

informal to stop someone from achieving an aim, or to stop some process from continuing

tax (verb)

formal to cause problems, or to make things difficult for someone

threaten (verb)

to be likely to harm or destroy something

throw (verb)

to put someone or something into a bad state

throw someone a curve (ball) ()

to do something unexpected that makes someone confused or causes problems

throw someone in at the deep end ()

to make someone deal with something difficult without preparing them for it

throw someone to the wolves ()

to put someone in a situation in which they are severely criticized or attacked, and not try to protect them

tread on sacred/dangerous ground ()

to do something that is likely to cause a problem or upset some people

trouble (verb)

spoken formal to cause someone a slight problem or difficulty by asking them to do something for you