have one's finger on the trigger

verb

To be prepared to kill someone else or as with a firearm.

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Meanings

verbhave one's finger on the trigger (third-person singular simple present has one's finger on the trigger, present participle having one's finger on the trigger, simple past and past participle had one's finger on the trigger)

present singular third person has one's finger on the trigger · participle present having one's finger on the trigger · participle past had one's finger on the trigger · past had one's finger on the trigger

  1. idiomaticinformalsarcasticTo be prepared to kill someone else or as with a firearm.
Cite this entry
APA

have one's finger on the trigger. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/have%20one's%20finger%20on%20the%20trigger

MLA

“have one's finger on the trigger.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/have%20one's%20finger%20on%20the%20trigger. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “have one's finger on the trigger,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/have%20one's%20finger%20on%20the%20trigger.

Source: have one's finger on the trigger on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.