trigger finger
Americannoun
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any finger, usually the forefinger, that presses the trigger of a gun.
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either forefinger, depending on which hand is dominant.
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Pathology. difficulty in straightening or bending a ring finger, caused by inflammation and thickening of its tendon.
Etymology
Origin of trigger finger
First recorded in 1820–30
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.
And Wall Street had better not get me started on “exponential”—my TI trigger finger is itchy.
From Barron's ● May 1, 2026
Netflix has gone from saving canceled shows to axing series like “1899” after a single season, like an old-time broadcaster with an itchy trigger finger.
From New York Times ● Jan. 6, 2023
“Your trigger finger isn’t doing anything other than sitting still.”
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 13, 2022
Cardona’s Papa Calaca, macho and sinister yet singing and bantering, is the one who directs Quixote to Rosario’s, where Pancho Villa’s pickled trigger finger is kept in a jar.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 17, 2021
The impact of Burr’s round then allegedly produced an involuntary jerk on Hamilton’s trigger finger, which sent a round sailing harmlessly above Burr and into the trees.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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.
