triggerman

[ trig-er-muhn, -man ]

noun

, Informal.

, plural trig·ger·men [trig, -er-m, uh, n, -men].

1. a gangster who specializes in gunning people down.
2. a bodyguard, especially of a gangster.

triggerman

/ ˈtrɪɡəˌmæn /

noun

1. a person, esp a criminal, who shoots another person

Word History and Origins

Origin of triggerman¹

First recorded in 1920–25; trigger + man

Example Sentences

Jones disputed that he was the triggerman that night, and he denied that he intended throughout the abduction to kill Haro.

From Los Angeles Times

In both cases, the admitted triggerman was a barely literate welder Leasure had met at a gun show.

From Los Angeles Times

Alvarenga Cortez was alleged to be the triggerman in the killing, with prosecutors saying he used a handgun.

From Los Angeles Times

He was arrested after triggerman Henry Arthur Tenon, 62, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, court records show.

From Seattle Times

“And the killings won’t stop until Kenji’s murder receives full justice, from the triggerman, from any commanders that day who gave shoot-to-kill orders, to the military leaders who orchestrated that day’s lethal repression.”

From Seattle Times