as in provoking
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as in activating
to cause to function
mold triggers my allergies
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Recent Examples of triggering
Alexander Smith, NBC news, 19 Mar. 2026
Compounds formed when meat is cooked at high temperatures are believed to play a role by triggering cancer-causing changes in the colon, according to the Colorectal Cancer Alliance.
—Miriam Fauzia, Dallas Morning News, 19 Mar. 2026
Investors cannot take possession of the precious metal themselves without triggering taxes and penalties.
—Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 16 Mar. 2026
Sparks or embers can drift into leaves or grass, triggering a fire that can rapidly propagate.
—Star-Telegram Weather Bot, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Mar. 2026
Some bullish analysts optimistic about the government’s collapse estimated that Tehran could soon become unable to pay the Guards, triggering defections, especially after Israeli cyberattacks on Iranian banks and a Wednesday airstrike against a Bank Sepah data center.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 14 Mar. 2026
After Hamas attacked Israel, on October 7, 2023, triggering a broad Israeli military campaign in Gaza, Israel killed Hamas leaders and decimated its military capabilities.
—Sudarsan Raghavan, New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2026
Continue reading … SCHOOL SCANDAL — Student’s mother uncovers disturbing evidence, triggering teacher’s arrest.
—FOXNews.com, 12 Mar. 2026
Dakota Mortensen, of course, is also invited to attend, despite being the highly triggering ex-boyfriend and baby daddy of lead star Taylor.
—Mckinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 12 Mar. 2026
Verb
Israel launched a widespread strike on Iran's world-largest gas field, South Pars, triggering retaliation from Tehran against key energy sites across the Gulf Arab states.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 19 Mar. 2026
Compounds formed when meat is cooked at high temperatures are believed to play a role by triggering cancer-causing changes in the colon, according to the Colorectal Cancer Alliance.
—Miriam Fauzia, Dallas Morning News, 19 Mar. 2026
Investors cannot take possession of the precious metal themselves without triggering taxes and penalties.
—Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 16 Mar. 2026
Sparks or embers can drift into leaves or grass, triggering a fire that can rapidly propagate.
—Star-Telegram Weather Bot, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Mar. 2026
Some bullish analysts optimistic about the government’s collapse estimated that Tehran could soon become unable to pay the Guards, triggering defections, especially after Israeli cyberattacks on Iranian banks and a Wednesday airstrike against a Bank Sepah data center.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 14 Mar. 2026
After Hamas attacked Israel, on October 7, 2023, triggering a broad Israeli military campaign in Gaza, Israel killed Hamas leaders and decimated its military capabilities.
—Sudarsan Raghavan, New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2026
Continue reading … SCHOOL SCANDAL — Student’s mother uncovers disturbing evidence, triggering teacher’s arrest.
—FOXNews.com, 12 Mar. 2026
Dakota Mortensen, of course, is also invited to attend, despite being the highly triggering ex-boyfriend and baby daddy of lead star Taylor.
—Mckinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 12 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for triggering
Adjective
-
Gosling voices the film’s thought-provoking questions about victimization and villainy with full commitment, and his rigidity — that tall posture, those limitless eyes — add another layer to the work.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Collections and designers put their best foot forward, delivering high-caliber collections — some were uplifting, others were thought-provoking, most were both.—
Laure Guilbault,
Vogue,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Antagonists arrive in the form of a private equity firm looking to acquire the company, activating an endgame.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Melbourne revitalized its center by activating small laneways with cafes, art and nightlife.—
Liam Stanton,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
At present, the only way to confirm most causes of acute kidney injury is via biopsy, which can reveal tissue inflammation, cellular damage or the presence of inflammatory cells.—
Jyoti Madhusoodanan,
Scientific American,
17 Mar. 2026
-
The hospital, which admitted Bolsonaro with high fever, sweating and chills, has also said that his inflammatory markers are increased.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Excessive rain caused torrents of water to wash out homes, damage roads, and threaten to burst a dam, sparking an emergency evacuation of thousands in Oahu on March 20.—
KiMi Robinson,
USA Today,
23 Mar. 2026
-
Savannah Guthrie is renewing pleas to neighbors, friends and residents of Tucson, Arizona, to jog their memories in the hopes of sparking new leads in the disappearance of her mother, Nancy.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
22 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Balat and Kayumi, both US citizens, have been charged with providing material support to a terrorist organization; use of a weapon of mass destruction; transportation of explosive materials; unlawful possession of destructive devices; and interstate transportation and receipt of explosives.—
Eric Levenson,
CNN Money,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Firefighters focused on preventing the blaze from spreading to an adjacent facility and isolating explosive chemicals.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
And the 6-9, 250-pound Boozer started to act like his brother Cayden, getting the ball up top in a point forward role on several possessions and then driving downhill.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
22 Mar. 2026
-
The judge also had Crosby’s driving license suspended.—
Julian Roberts-Grmela,
New York Daily News,
21 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Critics, including such prominent right-wing voices like Matt Walsh, have raised the alarm about her increasingly incendiary rhetoric.—
Kevin Dolak,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Mar. 2026
-
These lower guardrails have led the chatbot to generate controversial or incendiary outputs at times, for example churning out antisemitic posts after a technical update in July.—
Jared Perlo,
NBC news,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Technology keeps pushing toward a world where capturing a moment and generating one can happen in the same instant.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
20 Mar. 2026
-
The news is a tough watch at the moment, with conflict around the world generating headlines, and Johnson knows this means the team will need to tread carefully.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Triggering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/triggering. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
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