triggering

Verb

trigger (third-person singular simple present triggers, present participle triggering, simple past and past participle triggered)

1. (transitive) To fire (a weapon); to set off or trip (a mechanism or function of a device).
   • A U235 bomb would therefore need to incorporate a gun weighing ten tons. Then there was the question of initiating or triggering the bomb.2011, Jim Baggott, The First War of Physics, Pegasus Books, →ISBN

   Synonyms:

   activate, detonate, fire, set off, trip

2. (transitive) To cause, to precipitate, to bring (something) about in response or as a result.
   • The controversial article triggered a deluge of angry letters from readers.

   Synonyms:

   precipitate, set off, cause, activate, initiate

3. (figuratively, transitive) To spark a response, especially a negative emotional response, in (a person).
   • This story contains a rape scene and may be triggering for rape victims.

   Synonyms:

   push someone's buttons

4. (especially, intransitive) To 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

See all 16 meanings of trigger