hair trigger

noun

a trigger that allows the firing mechanism of a firearm to be operated by very slight pressure.

Origin of hair trigger

First recorded in 1815–25

Words Nearby hair trigger

Other definitions for hair-trigger (2 of 2)

hair-trigger

[ hair-trig-er ]

adjective

easily activated or set off; reacting immediately to the slightest provocation or cause: a hair-trigger temper.

Origin of hair-trigger

First recorded in 1885–90

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hair trigger in a sentence

And, frankly, I never wanted to be one of those hair-trigger activists who bellows predictably at every anti-Israel affront.
McGill's Judith Butler Bungle | Gil Troy | May 24, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
On gun control, a hair-trigger issue for Republicans who pick the nominee, Christie is in the center or even center–left field.
A Thinner Chris Christie Still Faces Big Political Challenges | Robert Shrum | May 10, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
Who looks strong and serious and intelligent and neither hair-trigger crazy nor like he could get rolled by the mullahs.
Obama-Romney III: All About Projection | Michael Tomasky | October 22, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
Combined feelings of embarrassment, sadness and regret for being on so precarious a hair trigger may surface.
What the Stars Predict for Your Week | Starsky + Cox | August 20, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
With a series of Moon-Mars mashups, aggression is on a hair trigger.
What the Stars Hold For Your Week | Starsky + Cox | July 17, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST

Jason picked his words slowly, wondering if this savage shared the same hair-trigger temper as the city dwellers.
Deathworld | Harry Harrison
Seeing him determined both to fight and to choose fire-arms, Dumas recommended him at least not to use the hair-trigger pistol.
Lola Montez | Edmund B. d'Auvergne
And hubby's hair-trigger temperament she now calls just plain temper.
How to Analyze People on Sight | Elsie Lincoln Benedict and Ralph Paine Benedict
Them fellers air allus on a hair-trigger when a mortgage falls in.
The Terms of Surrender | Louis Tracy
In it stirred the daring, the lawless adventure, the feverish ambition and the hair-trigger pride of argonauts from many lands.
Port O' Gold | Louis John Stellman

British Dictionary definitions for hair trigger

hair trigger

noun

a trigger of a firearm that responds to very slight pressure
informal
- any mechanism, reaction, etc, set in operation by slight provocation
- (as modifier): a hair-trigger temper

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Browse