trigger
Americannoun
-
triggers
plural
-
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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triggers,
present (3rd person singular)
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triggered,
past participle, past
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triggering
present participle
-
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)
-
triggers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
triggered,
past participle, past
-
triggering
present participle
-
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
-
are triggeringprogressive
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is triggeringprogressive
-
have been triggeringperfect progressive
-
has been triggeringperfect progressive
Past
-
triggeredsimple
-
had triggeredperfect
-
was triggeringprogressive
-
were triggeringprogressive
-
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:
He estimated that 183 gigawatts will be completed by 2032, with a further 118 gigawatts completed after 2032 — a pipeline that will trigger about $10.3 trillion dollars of investment over through 2032.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026
The growing garbage fire has warped a landfill hillside, which could potentially trigger and avalanche of garbage and leachate.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
Ordinarily, this would trigger a massive industry shakeout.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
In 2024, computer scientist Prof Dmitry Kobak, of Ghent University, searched more than a million biomedical research papers for trigger words favoured by the LLMs that generate AI writing.
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026
The words trigger something in my mind, but it flits away.
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
"They emit this very annoying buzz. It triggers my fight or flight response," says the 44-year-old administrative assistant.
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026
"Weaker or less durable AI investments and profitability could be a shock that triggers a market correction," the report said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026
Even moving something from one box to another triggers a brief encounter with the past.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
Building on earlier work, including a program at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Stanford programmed the monitors with time delays and conditional triggers so that some monitor readings didn’t automatically set off an alarm.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
Adeline drew a pair of imaginary guns from imaginary thigh holsters and posed, fingers pulling imaginary triggers, making little pew! pew! pew! sounds with her red mouth.
From "The Reader" by Traci Chee
See: Alphabet’s stock just triggered a ‘death cross.’
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026
The institute triggered a warning in 2015 for having rooms without required automatic fire alarms.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
The Adamuz crash triggered a nationwide debate about whether the network was fit for purpose.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
Even as record diesel prices have triggered a wave of trucking bankruptcies, driving diesel-free vehicles has turned out to be more expensive than expected.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
As with many autoimmune diseases, it's unknown what causes some people to develop vitiligo, though it is suspected that there can be a genetic factor, and it can be triggered by stress.
From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish
Video games, says Wulf, are notoriously good at triggering nostalgia because gamers can "jump into the same environment".
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
Yet the questionnaire left enough room for interpretation, triggering disappointment.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026
These experiments provided evidence that declining NRF2 activity can directly disrupt oligodendrocyte function, potentially triggering changes in myelin and nerve fibers that contribute to cognitive decline.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2026
South Korea’s Kospi rose 3.6% after falling 7.6% and triggering a temporary trading halt in the previous session.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
“In fact, I’m surprised they’ve kept it going so long. The Capitol will adjust by deactivating specific pods and then manually triggering them when their targets come in range.”
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
