triggernoun
uk/ˈtrɪɡ.ər/us/ˈtrɪɡ.ɚ/trigger noun (GUN PART)
[ C ] a part of a gun that causes the gun to fire when pressed:
It's not clear who actually pulled the trigger.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Parts of guns
- barrel
- bore
- business end
- butt
- clip
- flint
- gauge
- hammer
- holster
- magazine
- muffler
- muzzle
- ramrod
- safety catch
- sight
- silencer
- stock
- turret
trigger noun (START)
[ C usually singular ] an event or situation, etc. that causes something to start:
There are fears that the incident may be a trigger for more violence in the capital.
specialized psychology [ C usually singular ] something that causes someone to feel upset and frightened because they are made to remember something bad that has happened in the past:
A trigger is something that sets off a flashback, transporting the person back to the traumatic event.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Beginnings and starts
- a baptism of/by fire idiom
- a clean sheet/slate idiom
- advent
- baptism
- beginning
- clean
- go/be back to square one idiom
- inception
- initiation
- institution
- introduction
- jumping-off point
- seed
- square
- starting point
- starting time
- the outset
- the thin end of the wedge idiom
- thin
- zero hour
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triggerverb [ T ]
uk/ˈtrɪɡ.ər/us/ˈtrɪɡ.ɚ/C1 to cause something to start:
Some people find that certain foods trigger their headaches.
Ultraviolet-B radiation triggers the skin to produce vitamin D.
The racial killings at the weekend have triggered off a wave of protests.
More examples
- One type of diabetes is an auto-immune disease that may be triggered by a virus.
- The racial killings at the weekend have triggered off a wave of protests throughout the country.
- A vote of no confidence would trigger an election.
- The car crash triggered a lot of bad memories for me.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Starting and beginning
- be in the first flush of idiom
- become
- begin
- branch out
- break into sth
- export
- go ahead
- ground
- incipient
- initiator
- instate
- introduce
- kick
- kick-start
- strike
- swing into action idiom
- touch sth off
- train
- wade in
- weave
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