triggerman

noun

trig·​ger·​man ˈtri-gər-mən How to pronounce triggerman (audio)
-ˌman
: a gunman who shoots the victim (as in a gangland murder)

Examples of triggerman in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web All three men were arrested shortly after the killing, but police failed to book Gilbert on a murder warrant, according to Alameda County Public Defender Brendon Woods, whose office is representing Mitchell and has fingered Gilbert at the triggerman. Harry Harris, The Mercury News, 18 Jan. 2024 Namely, that Smith and not Anderson was the actual triggerman that night in retaliation for the beatdown at the MGM. John L. Smith, Rolling Stone, 25 Jan. 2024 Jones set a status check-in for Nov. 7, when a trial date is expected to be made. Davis, former leader of the South Side Crips in Compton, Calif., allegedly passed the murder weapon, a .40-caliber handgun, to his nephew and suspected triggerman Orlando Anderson. John Smith, Rolling Stone, 2 Nov. 2023 He was arrested after triggerman Henry Arthur Tenon, 62, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, court records show. CBS News, 21 Aug. 2023 James Howard Jackson, 20, was the triggerman in the shooting of Ryan Fischer on Feb. 25, 2021, as Fischer was walking Lady Gaga’s three French bulldogs on Sierra Bonita Avenue in Hollywood. Noah Goldbergstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 5 Dec. 2022 There have been two other arrests in the case – Gardner-Fernandez's husband, Mario Fernandez, and admitted triggerman, Henry Tenon. Rebecca Rosenberg, Fox News, 14 Sep. 2023 The ex-wife of a Microsoft executive who was gunned down by a triggerman in front of his young daughter has been charged with first-degree murder, and prosecutors in Florida plan to seek the death penalty. CBS News, 21 Aug. 2023 Investigators said Seay was the triggerman in at least four of the six shootings and a main player in all six. Carol Robinson | Crobinson@al.com, al, 8 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'triggerman.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1930, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of triggerman was circa 1930

Dictionary Entries Near triggerman

Cite this Entry

“Triggerman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/triggerman. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

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