as in activates
to cause to function
mold triggers my allergies
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Recent Examples of triggers
Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 9 Jan. 2026
The big risk as things stand is that an adversary misreads his mixed signals, oversteps, and triggers an escalation nobody wants.
—Comfort Ero, Time, 9 Jan. 2026
With his target being a former comrade-in-arms, this triggers a moral dilemma, calling into question all that was fought for.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 8 Jan. 2026
For people with celiac disease, gluten triggers an autoimmune response that damages the small intestine.
—Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 8 Jan. 2026
During the certification process, members of Congress have the opportunity to object to a state’s results, which triggers debate and then a vote about whether the objection is to be upheld.
—Jamie Thompson, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026
Rocky uses a lighter, which triggers his escape from police custody.
—Ilana Kaplan, PEOPLE, 5 Jan. 2026
Key Takeaways Short-term, alcohol slows brain processing, triggers the reward system, reduces stress and pain, impairs spatial thinking, and can cause memory lapses or blackouts.
—Sarah Bence, Verywell Health, 6 Nov. 2025
Late changes after proto review or post–assortment lock (because of a market signal or someone just changed their mind) triggers rework.
—Raj Dhiman, Sourcing Journal, 6 Nov. 2025
Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 22 Oct. 2025
Verb
If a situation escalates, pressing and holding the SOS button triggers a full safety sequence.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 9 Jan. 2026
The big risk as things stand is that an adversary misreads his mixed signals, oversteps, and triggers an escalation nobody wants.
—Comfort Ero, Time, 9 Jan. 2026
With his target being a former comrade-in-arms, this triggers a moral dilemma, calling into question all that was fought for.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 8 Jan. 2026
For people with celiac disease, gluten triggers an autoimmune response that damages the small intestine.
—Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 8 Jan. 2026
During the certification process, members of Congress have the opportunity to object to a state’s results, which triggers debate and then a vote about whether the objection is to be upheld.
—Jamie Thompson, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026
Rocky uses a lighter, which triggers his escape from police custody.
—Ilana Kaplan, PEOPLE, 5 Jan. 2026
Key Takeaways Short-term, alcohol slows brain processing, triggers the reward system, reduces stress and pain, impairs spatial thinking, and can cause memory lapses or blackouts.
—Sarah Bence, Verywell Health, 6 Nov. 2025
Late changes after proto review or post–assortment lock (because of a market signal or someone just changed their mind) triggers rework.
—Raj Dhiman, Sourcing Journal, 6 Nov. 2025
Noun
Binary triggers allow a semiautomatic weapon to fire both when the trigger is pulled and released, increasing its rate of fire.
—Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 22 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for triggers
Verb
-
Your 2nd House of Resources activates as the life-giving Sun conjoins combative Mars, motivating you to polish your skills, then price your improved work fairly.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Stomach acid activates digestive enzymes, which help break down food.—
Merve Ceylan,
Health,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
By this decade, your body has started to naturally lose muscle mass, and putting on new muscle may be more difficult due to anabolic resistance, which blunts the muscle’s ability to respond to external stimuli like exercise and protein.—
Emma Loewe,
Outside,
1 Jan. 2026
-
Word games, information sleuthing, instructional videos, and even just chatting with friends can provide positive stimuli.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
23 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
No smoke alarms were active at the time of the fire.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Construction industry leaders have been ringing alarms about tariffs leading to higher construction costs for months.—
Kyung Lah,
CNN Money,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
But his pursuit of art sparks a high-stakes battle with law enforcement in this intimate portrait of risk, resilience, and freedom in modern America.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
14 Jan. 2026
-
Decades later, that nostalgia still sparks a familiar question – what ever happened to the stars who made Petticoat Junction so unforgettable?—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Analysts say that the financial stock lacks positive catalysts heading into 2026.—
Morgan Chittum,Jeff Marks,Matthew J. Belvedere,
CNBC,
14 Jan. 2026
-
While Rodgers has connected on key throws this season, the running back duo of Kenny Gainwell and Jaylen Warren has been offensive catalysts.—
January 12,
CBS News,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The exhilaration of constant research and development is part of what drives this culinary team.—
Su-Jit Lin,
Southern Living,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Higher demand for MBSs drives bond prices up.—
Jeff Lazerson,
Oc Register,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The basement appears to allow for emergency backup generators, sprinkler systems, communications cabling and showers, suggesting that officials could remain underground for extended periods, potentially to operate or monitor equipment.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
14 Jan. 2026
-
Past missions have used radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) to power deep-space probes where solar light is faint.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Kansas and Missouri have spent the past 18 months trying to secure the team through sweeping stadium-funding incentives packages — which the Chiefs used last month to announce their intentions for a move to Kansas.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
9 Jan. 2026
-
The country is largely focused on a self-sufficiency drive to build up its chipmaking capabilities, a push that’s included readying a new round of incentives of as much as $70 billion for the chip sector.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Triggers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/triggers. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.
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