Pull the trigger Meaning in English

expression

US

UK

Definition

Literally, to fire a gun by pressing its trigger. Informally, it means to make a final or important decision to do something after thinking about it for a while.

Usage & Nuances

Mostly informal. Used for both literal (guns) and figurative cases, especially in business or personal decisions ('pull the trigger on a deal'). Not typically negative; it implies finally moving forward. Avoid using it in formal writing.

• Spanish: apretar el gatillo - tomar la decisión final
• Portuguese (BR): puxar o gatilho - tomar a decisão final
• Portuguese (PT): puxar o gatilho - tomar a decisão final
• Chinese (Simplified): 扣扳机 - 最终下定决心
• Chinese (Traditional): 扣板機 - 最終下定決心
• Hindi: घोड़ा दबाना - अंतिम निर्णय लेना
• Arabic: سحب الزناد - اتخاذ القرار النهائي
• Bengali: ট্রিগার টানা - সিদ্ধান্ত নেওয়া (দীর্ঘ চিন্তার পর)
• Russian: спустить курок - принять окончательное решение
• Japanese: 引き金を引く - 決断を下す
• Vietnamese: bóp cò - đưa ra quyết định cuối cùng
• Korean: 방아쇠를 당기다 - 결단을 내리다
• Turkish: tetiği çekmek - kesin karar vermek
• Urdu: ٹریگر دبانا - حتمی فیصلہ کرنا
• Indonesian: menarik pelatuk - mengambil keputusan besar

Example Sentences

He was afraid to pull the trigger on the new project.

basic

She finally decided to pull the trigger and buy the car.

basic

Don't pull the trigger without thinking it through.

basic

After months of hesitation, I finally pulled the trigger and quit my job.

natural

You just have to pull the trigger if you want things to change.

natural

It took a lot of courage for her to pull the trigger on launching her own business.

natural