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
Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 14 Oct. 2024
Meanwhile, Morrissey ordered more tests to determine whether Baldwin’s gun had a hair-trigger, as the defense team suggested.
—Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 13 July 2024
Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 6 Nov. 2024
The number of applause breaks throughout the set was staggering, the audience’s threshold apparently set to a hair trigger.
—Joe Berkowitz, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hair-trigger 
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Adjective
Other than that explosive, hair-trigger temper evidenced above.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 14 Oct. 2024
Meanwhile, Morrissey ordered more tests to determine whether Baldwin’s gun had a hair-trigger, as the defense team suggested.
—Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 13 July 2024
Noun
So any surprise is going to set off that hair trigger that he's been trying to cover up instead of working on being slower to anger.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 6 Nov. 2024
The number of applause breaks throughout the set was staggering, the audience’s threshold apparently set to a hair trigger.
—Joe Berkowitz, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hair-trigger
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Cite this Entry
“Hair-trigger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hair-trigger. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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