ready to fire a gun at the least provocation, regardless of the situation or probable consequences.
a trigger-happy hunter.
heedless and foolhardy in matters of great importance and recklessly advocating action that can result in war.
Some called him a trigger-happy candidate.
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.
tending to resort to the use of firearms or violence irresponsibly
tending to act rashly or without due consideration
First recorded in 1940–45
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A victim of government-sanctioned culling, trigger-happy farmers and rising road traffic, by 2002 the Iberian lynx was on the verge of extinction, with just 94 cats left in their natural habitat.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 30, 2026
It is designed to weed out the insecure and trigger-happy, the reckless hotheads with something to prove.
From Slate ● Apr. 13, 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
However, a couple of trigger-happy vedettes let off their carbines at them, yelled, "The Rebs are coming!" and galloped for the schoolhouse.
From Rebel Raider by Piper, H. Beam
This is a subtle distinction, but a distinction Burnham's allies do point to – to again seek to emphasise he is not trigger happy, he is not seeking to get ahead of himself.
From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026
“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
Mix equal parts water and white vinegar in a spray bottle and get trigger happy around those openings.
From Salon ● Sep. 12, 2021
The rest of the league, too, can get trigger happy on draft night with trades.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 20, 2018
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.
