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
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Kurt Snibbe, Oc Register, 6 Aug. 2025
The real uncertainties in the bond market are lodged in the larger complexities and flammable preconditions resulting from highly leveraged speculative positions set to unwind on a hair-trigger.
—George Calhoun, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025
Phil Mattingly, CNN Money, 31 July 2025
Thousands of nuclear warheads on a hair trigger were aimed at each nation’s cities and military bases.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 4 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for hair-trigger
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Adjective
They’re staffed around the clock and kept on hair-trigger alert.
—Kurt Snibbe, Oc Register, 6 Aug. 2025
The real uncertainties in the bond market are lodged in the larger complexities and flammable preconditions resulting from highly leveraged speculative positions set to unwind on a hair-trigger.
—George Calhoun, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025
Noun
Wall Street, however, has in many ways moved on from the initial weeks spent on a perpetual hair trigger.
—Phil Mattingly, CNN Money, 31 July 2025
Thousands of nuclear warheads on a hair trigger were aimed at each nation’s cities and military bases.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 4 July 2025
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 10 Sep. 2025.
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