triggerman

American  

[trig-er-muhn, -man] / ˈtrɪg ər mən, -ˌmæn /

noun

Informal.

triggermen plural

1. a gangster who specializes in gunning people down.

2. a bodyguard, especially of a gangster.

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triggerman British  

/ ˈtrɪɡəˌmæn /

noun

1. a person, esp a criminal, who shoots another person

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• triggermen
  plural

Etymology

Origin of triggerman

First recorded in 1920–25; trigger + man

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

triggerman triggermen

If Jones is not convicted of the special circumstances for being the triggerman, he could be eligible for parole.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2024

Nobody knows the quarterback position more than the recently retired Tom Brady, and he says leadership qualities even outweigh throwing ability for the modern-day triggerman to be successful.

From BBC ● Feb. 7, 2023

During the trial, prosecutors used testimony from Demery to identify Daniel A. Green as the triggerman.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 28, 2021

But, in Allen’s plea, he never accuses Sheeran of being a triggerman.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 14, 2020

Asked to rate his young franchise quarterback’s performance, Raiders coach Jack Del Rio was blunt: “He’s the triggerman of our offense. The offense didn’t get done what we needed to get done.”

From Washington Times ● Dec. 10, 2017

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, representing the family, said “It’s not just about the trigger men. It’s also about those who conspired with the triggermen to do this dastardly deed.”

From Washington Times ● Feb. 22, 2023

"It's not just about the triggermen," he said.

From BBC ● Feb. 21, 2023

"He was not intending to say that we had identified the actual triggermen," a spokesman explained.

From Time Magazine Archive

Prosecuting Attorney Richard Sprague has labored relentlessly those same years, winning the convictions of three triggermen and four co-conspirators and working his way up to the suspected mastermind of the plot.

From Time Magazine Archive