trigger
noun · verb
Simple meaning
An event that initiates others, or incites a response.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
triguhSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈtɹɪɡə
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
An event that initiates others, or incites a response.
“Sleeping in an unfamiliar room can be a trigger for sleepwalking.”
firearms
A finger-operated lever used to fire a gun.
A similar device used to activate any mechanism.
A concept or image that upsets somebody.
“I can't watch that violent film. Blood is one of my triggers.”
verb
To spark a response, especially a negative emotional response, in (someone).
“This story contains a rape scene and may be triggering for rape victims.”
To fire a weapon.
To activate; to become active.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: An event that initiates others, or incites a response.
Used this way, trigger is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“Sleeping in an unfamiliar room can be a trigger for sleepwalking.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Usage note
It most often appears in the pattern “trigger for …”, which is worth copying when you use it.
Natural pattern: trigger for …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
How It’s Used
The word’s distinct uses, one example each.
Eventnoun
“Sleeping in an unfamiliar room can be a trigger for sleepwalking.”
Conceptnoun
“I can't watch that violent film. Blood is one of my triggers.”
Sparkverb
“This story contains a rape scene and may be triggering for rape victims.”
More ways to use trigger
- “He gently squeezed the trigger, firing the water pistol at his friend.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Put in motion or move to act.
Lever that activates the firing mechanism of a gun.
A gun trigger that responds with little pressure.
A steel or beryllium sphere containing plutonium 239 that triggers nuclear fission when compressed by explosives.
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Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API (CC BY-SA 3.0). Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.