triggerman

[trig-er-muhn, -man]

noun

Informal.

plural

triggermen 

1. a gangster who specializes in gunning people down.

2. a bodyguard, especially of a gangster.

triggerman

/ ˈtrɪɡəˌmæn /

noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of triggerman¹

First recorded in 1920–25; trigger + man

Example Sentences

So, instead of retiring her asset with a long-range sniper, Reed arranges for Helen’s old pal Sam, once their industry’s top “triggerman,” to return to London to assist her.

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Jones disputed that he was the triggerman that night, and he denied that he intended throughout the abduction to kill Haro.

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In both cases, the admitted triggerman was a barely literate welder Leasure had met at a gun show.

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Alvarenga Cortez was alleged to be the triggerman in the killing, with prosecutors saying he used a handgun.

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He was arrested after triggerman Henry Arthur Tenon, 62, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, court records show.

Read more on Seattle Times