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
Michael Santoli, CNBC, 26 Sep. 2025
Wayans portrays White as the worst possible mentor: a brash, arrogant superstar with a hair-trigger temper and too many screws loose.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 18 Sep. 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
The self-supporting rotational action and hair-trigger dip-buying reflex is underpinning this resilience, with some mostly expected but reassuring data on personal income, spending and PCE inflation providing cover.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 26 Sep. 2025
Wayans portrays White as the worst possible mentor: a brash, arrogant superstar with a hair-trigger temper and too many screws loose.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 18 Sep. 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 5 Oct. 2025.
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