trigger point

noun

: a localized usually tender or painful area of the body and especially of a muscle that when stimulated gives rise to pain elsewhere in the body

Examples of trigger point in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

According to Game Point’s website, premiums can be offered at various trigger points, such as losing nine games. — Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Local utility rate announcements ahead of summer, which mark the trigger point that pushes more households off nighttime AC. — Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Sep. 2026

Finance leaders are building multiple scenarios, defining trigger points and agreeing on response plans before disruption occurs. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026

One of those neck trigger point massagers. — Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 8 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1891, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for trigger point

• counterpoint
• disappoint
• multipoint
• needlepoint
• reappoint
• adjoint
• anoint
• appoint
• checkpoint
• conjoint
• disjoint
• endpoint

Medical Definition

trigger point

noun

: a localized usually tender or painful area of the body and especially of a muscle that when stimulated gives rise to pain elsewhere in the body

A trigger point in the calf muscle can also cause discomfort or weakness in the heel or arch; a trigger point in the thigh may cause pain around the knee.

—Runner's World

called also trigger area, trigger zone