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

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

With Stafford as his triggerman, McVay’s offense is more explosive than ever.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 27, 2021

Freeman released a statement last month maintaining that Burrell was the triggerman.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 8, 2020

Perhaps new Dolphins offensive coordinator Chan Gailey will also try Perry as a wildcat triggerman.

From Washington Times ● Apr. 29, 2020

As the triggerman for the Rams’ “Greatest Show on Turf” offense, he won the MVP award again two years later with another run to the Super Bowl.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 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

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

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

From Time Magazine Archive