trigger

CEFRB2

/ˈtɹɪɡəː/

noun · verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A part that starts a gun or activates a process.

  2. 02

    verb

    To cause an event or reaction to happen.

Examples

  • Nuts can trigger off a violent allergic reaction.

  • The man put the gun against his forehead and squeezed the trigger.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Also pronounced

  • [ˈtɹ̝̊ʷɪɡɚ] ~ [ˈtɹ̝̊ʷɪɡɹ̩]

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. A similar device used to activate any mechanism.

  2. An event that initiates others, or incites a response.

  3. A finger-operated lever used to fire a gun.

More examples

In context

  • Police can't be trigger happy.

  • Sleeping in an unfamiliar room can be a trigger for sleepwalking.

  • Just pull the trigger.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Quick test

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Nearby

Origin

noun

Originally tricker, from Dutch trekker (“pull”, noun, as in drawer-pull, bell-pull), from Dutch trekken (“to drag, draw, pull”).