1.
trigger (of a gun)
The lever on a firearm that is pulled to discharge it.
引き金を引く。
To pull the trigger.
銃の引き金に指をかけた。
He put his finger on the gun's trigger.
2.
trigger, catalyst, cause
Something that directly causes an event or chain of events to begin. Used figuratively for the starting point of a major change, conflict, or incident.
あの一言が引き金になって二人は大喧嘩をした。
That one remark triggered a huge fight between them.
この事件が引き金となって法律が改正された。
This incident served as the trigger for the law being revised.
株価の暴落が経済危機の引き金になった。
The stock price crash became the trigger for the economic crisis.
小さな誤解が大きな紛争の引き金になることもある。
Even a small misunderstanding can become the trigger for a major conflict.
USAGE:
The figurative sense (sense 2) is more common in everyday use than the literal sense. The pattern ～が引き金になる (~ becomes the trigger) and ～が引き金となる (more formal) are standard.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 引き金を引く: to pull the trigger
- 引き金になる: to become the trigger/catalyst
- 引き金となる: to serve as the trigger (formal)
- ～の引き金: the trigger of ~