hair-trig·ger
ˈher-ˌtri-gər 
1
: immediately responsive to the slightest stimulus
a hair-trigger temper
2
: delicately adjusted or easily disrupted
: a gun trigger so adjusted as to permit the firearm to be fired by a very slight pressure
Examples of hair-trigger in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Chris Jones, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2025
Byrne’s performance has a hair-trigger impulsiveness to match.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 7 Feb. 2025
Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 6 Nov. 2024
The number of applause breaks throughout the set was staggering, the audience’s threshold apparently set to a hair trigger.
—Joe Berkowitz, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for hair-trigger
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Adjective
The bedrock of Canada’s collective tranquility is the knowledge that misbehavior will not be tolerated, and, as in hockey, violations of the code of conduct will be met with hair-trigger aggression.
—Chris Jones, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2025
Byrne’s performance has a hair-trigger impulsiveness to match.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 7 Feb. 2025
Noun
So any surprise is going to set off that hair trigger that he's been trying to cover up instead of working on being slower to anger.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 6 Nov. 2024
The number of applause breaks throughout the set was staggering, the audience’s threshold apparently set to a hair trigger.
—Joe Berkowitz, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for hair-trigger
Cite this Entry
“Hair-trigger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hair-trigger. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
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