triggered

verb

Definition of triggerednext
past tense of trigger
as in activated
to cause to function mold triggers my allergies

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of triggered The attack has caused huge disruption to air travel and triggered a wave of cancellations for events taking place in the Saudi capital this week, with the World Petroleum Congress this week most directly impacted. — Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 12 Oct. 2026 The crisis was triggered when about 80,000 people poured into the Spanish exclave in late July from neighboring Morocco, driven by rumors online that Spain had opened its border. — ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026 The Houthis have longstanding grievances against Saudi Arabia over Riyadh’s decade-long war against the group, which triggered the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. — Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2026 Those efforts triggered widespread protests, while implementation of the 2023 retirement changes has since been suspended until 2028. — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026 The earthquake also triggered massive traffic congestion as thousands of people attempted to return home. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 10 Oct. 2026 Quarantine measures The emergency measures triggered across the region speak louder than the official reassurances. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 5 Oct. 2026 His death triggered a special election that included Gallagher, McGuire and Democrat Audrey Denney. — Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 5 Oct. 2026 Le Parisien first reported that the suspect fled when the museum’s alarm system was triggered, prompting Paris police to launch an investigation. — Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for triggered
  1. activated
  2. sparked
  3. drove
  4. generated
Verb
  • Federal immigration officials need to ensure that body cameras worn by officers are uniformly activated when needed, a government report released Wednesday said, following a series of contentious shootings and aggressive arrests by ICE officers.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The carrier is expected to hold NATO command ship responsibilities until mid-2027, positioning it to lead a multinational naval force if activated during an international crisis.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of activated
Verb
  • Snowden’s leaks in 2013 revealed NSA programs that sparked a global debate about government surveillance.
    — Chad de Guzman, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The rise in such killings has sparked protests and calls for government action as many of the killings remain unsolved while others go unreported.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of sparked
Verb
  • The individual who inflicted the fatal injury drove the spear downward through the victim’s left chest cavity from the front, piercing major arteries and the lungs before creating the hole in the left scapula.
    — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Ohtani drove the Struggle Bus into Game 3, having struck out seven times in 20 playoff at-bats, with only three singles and no extra-base hits and no RBIs.
    — Mirjam Swanson, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of drove
Verb
  • Lee presented a teaser of upcoming series Rendering Love, produced by MBC C&I and Barunson E&A, which combines live-action scenes filmed the traditional way with AI generated characters to tell the story of a virtual K-pop group.
    — Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 11 Oct. 2026
  • The Wildcats briefly generated momentum when defensive back Kenneth Anderson intercepted a Southwest pass at the Dunbar 31-yard line, but the Raiders quickly regained control.
    — Shiloh Robinson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of generated

Browse Nearby Words

trigger
triggered
trigger-happy
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Triggered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/triggered. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of zenith

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 16
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All