Adjacent Words

Trigger definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

TRIG'GER, n.
1. A catch to hold the wheel of a carriage on a declivity.
2. The catch of a musket or pistol; the part which being pulled, looses the lock for striking fire.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: lever that activates the firing mechanism of a gun [syn: gun trigger, trigger]
2: a device that activates or releases or causes something to happen
3: an act that sets in motion some course of events [syn: trigger, induction, initiation] v
1: put in motion or move to act; "trigger a reaction"; "actuate the circuits" [syn: trip, actuate, trigger, activate, set off, spark off, spark, trigger off, touch off]
2: release or pull the trigger on; "Trigger a gun"

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: alteration of earlier tricker, from Dutch trekker, from Middle Dutch trecker one that pulls, from trecken to pull — more at trek Date: 1621 1. a. a piece (as a lever) connected with a catch or detent as a means of releasing it; especially the part of the action moved by the finger to fire a gun b. a similar movable part by which a mechanism is actuated <trigger of a spray gun> 2. something that acts like a mechanical trigger in initiating a process or reaction • trigger adjective • triggered adjective II. verb (triggered; triggering) Date: 1916 transitive verb 1. a. to release or activate by means of a trigger; especially to fire by pulling a mechanical trigger <trigger a rifle> b. to cause the explosion of <trigger a missile with a proximity fuse> 2. to initiate, actuate, or set off by a trigger <an indiscreet remark that triggered a fight> <a stimulus that triggered a reflex> intransitive verb to release a mechanical trigger

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 a movable device for releasing a spring or catch and so setting off a mechanism (esp. that of a gun). 2 an event, occurrence, etc., that sets off a chain reaction. --v.tr. 1 (often foll. by off) set (an action or process) in motion; initiate, precipitate. 2 fire (a gun) by the use of a trigger. Phrases and idioms: quick on the trigger quick to respond. trigger fish any usu. tropical marine fish of the family Balistidae with a first dorsal fin-spine which can be depressed by pressing on the second. trigger-happy apt to shoot without or with slight provocation. Derivatives: triggered adj. Etymology: 17th-c. tricker f. Du. trekker f. trekken pull: cf. TREK

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Trigger Trig"ger, n. [For older tricker, from D. trekker, fr. trekken to draw, pull. See Trick, n.] 1. A catch to hold the wheel of a carriage on a declivity. 2. (Mech.) A piece, as a lever, which is connected with a catch or detent as a means of releasing it; especially (Firearms), the part of a lock which is moved by the finger to release the cock and discharge the piece. Trigger fish (Zo["o]l.), a large plectognath fish (Balistes Carolinensis or B. capriscus) common on the southern coast of the United States, and valued as a food fish in some localities. Its rough skin is used for scouring and polishing in the place of sandpaper. Called also leather jacket, and turbot.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(triggers, triggering, triggered) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. The trigger of a gun is a small lever which you pull to fire it. A man pointed a gun at them and pulled the trigger. N-COUNT 2. The trigger of a bomb is the device which causes it to explode. ...trigger devices for nuclear weapons. N-COUNT: oft N n 3. To trigger a bomb or system means to cause it to work. The thieves must have deliberately triggered the alarm and hidden inside the house... = activate VERB: V n 4. If something triggers an event or situation, it causes it to begin to happen or exist. ...the incident which triggered the outbreak of the First World War... VERB: V n • Trigger off means the same as trigger. It is still not clear what events triggered off the demonstrations. PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron), also V n P 5. If something acts as a trigger for another thing such as an illness, event, or situation, the first thing causes the second thing to begin to happen or exist. Stress may act as a trigger for these illnesses. N-COUNT: oft N for n