trigger
Americannoun
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a small projecting tongue in a firearm that, when pressed by the finger, actuates the mechanism that discharges the weapon.
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a device, as a lever, the pulling or pressing of which releases a catch or spring.
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anything, as an act or event, that serves as a stimulus and initiates or precipitates a reaction or series of reactions.
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something that evokes the memory of a traumatic experience, setting off an intense negative emotional reaction.
This issue of the magazine contains accounts of sexual assault, and may be a trigger for some people.
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Slang. triggerman.
verb (used with object)
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to initiate or precipitate (a chain of events, scientific reaction, psychological process, etc.).
Their small protest triggered a mass demonstration.
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to fire or explode (a gun, missile, etc.) by pulling a trigger or releasing a triggering device.
He accidentally triggered his rifle.
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to set off a negative emotional reaction in (someone), as by evoking the memory of a traumatic experience, repeatedly raising a sensitive issue, etc..
I missed seeing my mom in the ICU before she died, and imagining her there triggers me every time I see ICU footage on TV.
verb (used without object)
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to release a trigger.
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to become active; activate.
idioms
noun
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a small projecting lever that activates the firing mechanism of a firearm
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machinery a device that releases a spring-loaded mechanism or a similar arrangement
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any event that sets a course of action in motion
verb
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(usually foll by off) to give rise (to); set off
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to fire or set in motion by or as by pulling a trigger
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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triggersimple
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triggerssimple
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have triggeredperfect
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has triggeredperfect
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am triggeringprogressive
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are triggeringprogressive
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is triggeringprogressive
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have been triggeringperfect progressive
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has been triggeringperfect progressive
Past
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triggeredsimple
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had triggeredperfect
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was triggeringprogressive
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were triggeringprogressive
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had been triggeringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of trigger
First recorded in 1615–25; earlier tricker, from Dutch trekker, equivalent to trekk(en) “to pull” + -er -er 1
Explanation
A trigger is a metal lever that when pulled discharges a gun. You shoot the gun by pulling the trigger. Trigger can also mean the start of a process––violent protests might trigger a revolution. Certain scents, places, or old love songs can be said to trigger, or activate, memories. If you get weepy when you hear the national anthem, that may be because it triggers thoughts of family, home, baseball and the Fourth of July. For someone in frail health, a seemingly minor problem like getting a common cold, might trigger a series of physical responses that end up landing them in the hospital.
Vocabulary lists containing trigger
"Fears and Phobias," Vocabulary from the article
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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:
Meanwhile, DRL’s remaining skeleton crew was tasked with removing trigger words from documents.
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026
The storm could trigger flooding and storm surges in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi as it drifts west towards Texas.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
At a third factory, housed in renovated Cold War-era buildings in a forest populated with deer, women with long painted nails assemble tiny components for igniters, which trigger the guncotton in the propellant.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
It could also widen attacks on infrastructure in Persian Gulf countries — moves that would trigger an even bigger ripple effect across global markets.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
My pearls, my belts, my cardigans, my off-the-rack dresses from J.Crew, my apparently brave choice of white for an inaugural gown—all seemed to trigger a slew of opinions and instant feedback.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Depression triggers are terrible bait regardless of whether there’s candy after the tears.
From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026
This triggers the belief that Lena is a woman who went missing 13 years before.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
Insufficient liquidity to meet obligations triggers financial distress.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026
One possible outcome of the investigation is a suspension, which triggers a recall petition.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
In 2012, several further studies corroborated these initial findings, strengthening the links between these variants of mental illness and family histories and deepening questions about their etiology, epidemiology, triggers, and instigators.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
His dismissal comes just days after the removal of popular Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov - a move that triggered street protests across the country.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
That result suggests that the first wave of immune activity triggered by early plaques may be enough to establish the sleep problem.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 20, 2026
Some 2.2 million aspiring medical students sat for a re-examination under tight security last month after the previous test was scrapped following a question paper leak that triggered widespread outrage.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
Two Chinese state investment firms have deployed nearly $9 billion to prop up the stock market, after artificial-intelligence fears triggered a selloff in recent weeks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
It is my medical opinion that in Hawaii you had an episode of myocarditis triggered by a viral infection.
From "Everything, Everything" by Nicola Yoon
Your unpredictable income could create lower-tax years to release IRA funds, reducing your required minimum distributions without triggering a massive tax bill.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
Molecules are repeatedly struck by ions and electrons, triggering chemical reactions that can create increasingly complex materials.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026
The blast last summer was the deadliest incident for the Sheriff’s Department in 150 years, triggering criminal investigations and more than $350,000 in fines from the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026
The U.A.E. might also need a green light, explicit or otherwise, from Russia and the U.S. that it could receive the S-400 without triggering a diplomatic crisis with either party.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
Is it intensive food production that is the cause, triggering population growth and somehow leading to a complex society?
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
