triggered

[trig-erd] / ˈtrɪg ərd /

VERB

cause to happen

Synonyms

STRONGEST

bring about cause generate produce prompt provoke set off spark start

STRONG

activate elicit

WEAK

give rise to set in motion

Antonyms

STRONGEST

destroy end halt prevent stop

WEAK

block check

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The team believes giant prey animals may have triggered an "evolutionary arms race" in which predators evolved stronger jaws and skulls to overpower increasingly massive herbivores.

From Science Daily • May 20, 2026

She added that it appeared that "even when the welfare procedures were triggered, they did not result in substantive action, nor was there a sense of curiosity".

From BBC • May 20, 2026

The issue that ostensibly triggered the probe was an appearance in February by James Talarico, a Democratic candidate for Senate in Texas.

From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026

A similar boom happened after the 2022 energy crisis triggered by the Ukraine war.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026

Leo Szilard and Eugene Wigner—the ones who’d triggered the Manhattan Project by convincing Albert Einstein to warn President Roosevelt of the danger of atomic bombs—came to watch.

From "Bomb" by Steve Sheinkin