trigger-happy
adjective
ready to fire a gun at the least provocation, regardless of the situation or probable consequences.
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trigger happy
trigger happyInclined to act violently at the slightest provocation, as in They feared that the President was trigger happy and would send in troops at the drop of a hat. This expression alludes to being too eager to fire a gun. [c. 1940]
trigger-happy
American
[trig-er-hap-ee]
/ ˈtrɪg ərˌhæp i /
adjective
Informal.
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ready to fire a gun at the least provocation, regardless of the situation or probable consequences.
a trigger-happy hunter.
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heedless and foolhardy in matters of great importance and recklessly advocating action that can result in war.
Some called him a trigger-happy candidate.
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eager to point out the mistakes or shortcomings of others; aggressively or wantonly critical.
He's a trigger-happy editor with a nervous blue pencil.
trigger-happy
British
adjective
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tending to resort to the use of firearms or violence irresponsibly
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tending to act rashly or without due consideration
trigger happy
Idioms
Etymology
Origin of trigger-happy
First recorded in 1940–45
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
It is designed to weed out the insecure and trigger-happy, the reckless hotheads with something to prove.
From Slate ● Apr. 13, 2026
Many of those stocks soon after clawed back much of their losses, leaving some investors to describe the market as trigger-happy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 23, 2026
Don’t get trigger-happy and sell because of headlines.
From Barron's ● Nov. 20, 2025
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem was portrayed with a melting face and a trigger-happy response to puppy dogs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2025
The man in charge saw Gilgamesh on the alarm screens and got trigger-happy.
From The Lost Kafoozalum by Pauline Ashwell
“Nah ah / Don’t get, don’t get trigger happy with me, Claudine.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2026
But opponents fear people will become trigger happy and not take other precautions against bears.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 7, 2024
“I feel like in the first half I was a little antsy, and I was a little trigger happy just by being excited and being in the atmosphere,” Hemby said.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 10, 2023
As one veteran of the May and Johnson premierships put it: "Some of the 2019 intake are feeling trigger happy."
From BBC ● Jan. 13, 2022
Mix equal parts water and white vinegar in a spray bottle and get trigger happy around those openings.
From Salon ● Sep. 12, 2021
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
