How to use trigger in a sentence
40 example sentences · noun, verb
Trigger means a finger-operated lever used to fire a gun. Example: “Just pull the trigger.”
Examples of trigger by meaning
nounA finger-operated lever used to fire a gun.
- Just pull the trigger.
nounAn event that initiates others, or incites a response.
- Sleeping in an unfamiliar room can be a trigger for sleepwalking.
nounA concept or image that upsets somebody by sparking a negative emotional response.
- I can't watch that violent film. Blood is one of my triggers.
verbTo fire (a weapon); to set off or trip (a mechanism or function of a device).
- Then there was the question of initiating or triggering the bomb.2011, Jim Baggott, The First War of Physics, Pegasus Books, →ISBN
verbTo cause, to precipitate, to bring (something) about in response or as a result.
- The controversial article triggered a deluge of angry letters from readers.
- The accident followed torrential early morning rain that triggered widespread flooding across Scotland's tracks, including south of Carmont.2020 August 26, Philip Haigh, “Network News: Three die in ScotRail landslip derailment at Carmont”, in Rail, page 6
- A 35-year-old woman’s flutter was triggered by increasing the depth of breathing and by (electrical) stimulation of the diaphragm.2017, Michael Chiou, BA; María Victoria Herrero; John R. Bach, MD; Jeffrey L. Cole, MD; and Enrique Luis Gonzales, AAS, CRT, RRT...
verbTo spark a response, especially a negative emotional response, in (a person).
- This story contains a rape scene and may be triggering for rape victims.
- People get triggered simply by seeing a Trump.2019, Donald Trump Jr., Triggered, Center Street, →ISBN
- I encountered a forum user who didn't agree with me, so I wrote some comments with my political slogans to trigger that clueless kiddo.2020 January 25, Ernesto Londoño, Letícia Casado, “Glenn Greenwald in Bolsonaro’s Brazil”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the...
verbTo activate; to become active.
- Sodium nitrite (750 ppm) was added after the alarm triggered at three hours, and corrosion did not occur for over eight hours.1997, Mill Operators' Conference, page 182
More sentences with trigger
- Maxwell gloved his hand so that he wouldn't leave fingerprints, then pulled the trigger.From the entry glove
- I pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. I had forgotten to load the gun.From the entry load
- A base jumper attempts to freefall for as long as possible before triggering the parachute.From the entry freefall
- One of the great benefits is that it allows you to perform callouts during trigger executions.From the entry callout
- There was something off about the new neighbor. He was triggering my weirdometer.From the entry weirdometer
- The unbalanced terms of the treaty was a trigger point for the war.From the entry trigger point
- Me wanting to spend time with other people is a big trigger point for him.From the entry trigger point
- He said the accident was caused by a faulty trigger, but I think it was the nut behind the bolt.From the entry nut behind the bolt
- The LAPD has asked Angelenos not to shoot at the alien spaceship, fearing it might trigger an interstellar war.From the entry Angeleno
- The discovery of extraterrestrial intelligence would trigger widespread ontological shock.From the entry ontological shock
- The House of Commons blocked the government's proposed budget, causing a loss of supply and triggering a new election.From the entry loss of supply
- Relocating components to places where they receive more heating effect earlier in the reentry and even triggering a partial break-up of the satellite structure during reentry to aid demise.From the entry demise
- The primary issue with doomjobbing is the immediate trigger of Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).2026 May 15, Unattributed, “Doomjobbing Signs 2026 Trend: Why This Mass-Application Addiction Destroys Career Growth”, in Uptick Times…. From the entry doomjobbing
- The more logical path is to rid yourself of the trigger that so many people have.2025, Case Kenny, The Opposite of Settling: How to Get Everything You Want Out of Love and Life Without Losing Your Spark, page 44. From the entry do not kill the part of you that is cringe, kill the part of you that cringes
- In other words, political grandstanding does not trigger the bar of the Twenty-Second Amendment.2023 December 28, Shenna Bellows, “Ruling of the Secretary of State”, in State of Maine Secretary of State, archived from the original on…. From the entry term limit
- Psychedelics trigger neuroplasticity immediately, which is why they've been dubbed psychoplastogens.2023, David Nutt, Psychedelics, page 107. From the entry psychoplastogen
- The classic compulsion loop is designed to either relieve some stress or trigger some reward, or both.2022, Carl D. Marci, Rewired: Protecting Your Brain in the Digital Age, Harvard University Press, →ISBN, page 191. From the entry compulsion loop
- Risk factors will not be realised in the context does not support or trigger them.2022 March 10, Phil Willmot, Lawrence Jones, Trauma-Informed Forensic Practice, Routledge, →ISBN. From the entry traumagenic
- Ms Elser also said Meghan entering politics would trigger a "category five meltdown" at Buckingham Palace.2022 July 5, Katie Harris, “Meghan poised to swipe 'true power on her own terms' with Harry facing 'immense' sacrifice”, in Daily Express. From the entry category five
- That was the triggering moment when I felt that something had to change.2021, Cissy Jones, Finding My Way Back To Me, Bowker, →ISBN. From the entry lost in the sauce
- “I think I trigger a lot of their primal rage,” Mr.2020 January 25, Ernesto Londoño, Letícia Casado, “Glenn Greenwald in Bolsonaro’s Brazil”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the…. From the entry primal
- They are literally tensing to brace themselves for the impact of the feared trigger or upsetting experience.2017, Ladislav Timulak, James McElvaney, Transforming Generalized Anxiety: An emotion-focused approach, Taylor & Francis, page 123. From the entry self-interruption
- Seeing his longtime partner Jill with someone else triggers feelings in Vincent he never knew he had.2016, Lauren Layne, Cuff Me, Hachette UK, →ISBN. From the entry good cop/bad cop
- One pull of the trigger and it started right up again.2015 June 25, Joe R[owan], “Power washer with Honda engine won't start.”, in alt.home.repair (Usenet). From the entry mucho thankso
- Using BLE, an airport or airline can define more targeted “micro-locations” to trigger an activity.2014, Pierre J Benckendorff, Pauline J Sheldon, Daniel R Fesenmaier, Tourism Information Technology, 2nd Edition, →ISBN, page 194. From the entry micro-location
- He slowed to a walk, keeping his aim steady as he pulled the trigger with metronomic regularity.2014 October 14, Weston Ochse, Reign of Evil: A SEAL Team 666 Novel, Macmillan Publishers, →ISBN, page 63. From the entry slow is smooth, smooth is fast
- The object triggering the event doesn’t care if there are any subscribers.2013, Addy Osmani, Developing Backbone.js Applications, page 175. From the entry care
- The object triggering the event doesn't care if there are any subscribers.2013, Addy Osmani, Developing Backbone.js Applications, page 175. From the entry aggregator
- Officers have installed a panic alarm in his home that triggers an armed response.2013 April 1, Daily Telegraph. From the entry armed response
Meaning of trigger
- noun A finger-operated lever used to fire a gun.
- noun A similar device used to activate any mechanism.
- noun An event that initiates others, or incites a response.
Questions about trigger in a sentence
- How do you use trigger in a sentence?
- Trigger is used as a noun and verb. For example: “Just pull the trigger.”
- What is a short sentence with trigger?
- “Just pull the trigger.”
- What does trigger mean?
- Trigger means a finger-operated lever used to fire a gun.
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: trigger (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Cite this page: “How to use trigger in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/trigger. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
