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trigger

Pronunciation: /ˈtɹɪɡə/

The English word “trigger” has 16 meanings listed here.

noun

  1. A finger-operated lever used to fire a gun.
  2. A similar device used to activate any mechanism.
  3. An event that initiates others, or incites a response.
  4. Something that triggers an ASMR response.
  5. A concept or image that upsets somebody by sparking a negative emotional response.
  6. An event, experience or other stimulus that initiates a traumatic memory or a strong reaction in a person.
  7. An electronic transducer allowing a drum, cymbal, etc. to control an electronic drum unit or similar device.
  8. A device that manually lengthens (or sometimes shortens) the slide or tubing of a brass instrument, allowing the pitch range to be altered while playing.
  9. A pulse in an electronic circuit that initiates some component.
  10. An SQL procedure that may be initiated when a record is inserted, updated or deleted; typically used to maintain referential integrity.
  11. A catch to hold the wheel of a carriage on a declivity.
  12. An argument whose semantic role determines the choice of a verbal affix, in certain Austronesian languages.

verb

  1. To fire (a weapon); to set off or trip (a mechanism or function of a device).
  2. To cause, to precipitate, to bring (something) about in response or as a result.
  3. To spark a response, especially a negative emotional response, in (a person).
  4. To activate; to become active.

Etymology

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

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.