touch off
verb
touched off; touching off; touches off
1
a
: to provoke or initiate with sudden intensity
the verdict touched off local riots
b
: to cause to explode by or as if by touching with fire
2
: to describe or characterize with precision
Examples of touch off in a Sentence
his obscene comment touched off a heated debate about the need for censorship on live broadcasts
Recent Examples on the Web
Last month, the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s editor wrote that a recent job applicant withdrew from consideration for a reporting fellowship after discovering the position included filing notes to an AI writing tool instead of actually writing stories, touching off a heated debate in media circles.
—
Max Tani, semafor.com, 4 Mar. 2026
In the immediate aftermath of the finale versus Canada, the nationwide celebration also touched off some controversy of its own.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 1 Mar. 2026
During the war, Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic ordered the ethnic cleansing of the majority Albanians in Kosovo, burning villages and forcing some 700,000 Kosovo Albanians to seek refuge in neighboring Albania, which touched off NATO intervention.
—Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 28 Feb. 2026
Among them was the brother of Sylville Smith, whose death at the hands of police touched off three days of rioting.
—La Risa R. Lynch, jsonline.com, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for touch off
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Max Tani, semafor.com, 4 Mar. 2026
In the immediate aftermath of the finale versus Canada, the nationwide celebration also touched off some controversy of its own.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 1 Mar. 2026
During the war, Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic ordered the ethnic cleansing of the majority Albanians in Kosovo, burning villages and forcing some 700,000 Kosovo Albanians to seek refuge in neighboring Albania, which touched off NATO intervention.
—Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 28 Feb. 2026
Among them was the brother of Sylville Smith, whose death at the hands of police touched off three days of rioting.
—La Risa R. Lynch, jsonline.com, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for touch off
Cite this Entry
“Touch off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/touch%20off. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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