as in to trigger
to cause to function
his obscene comment touched off a heated debate about the need for censorship on live broadcasts
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Recent Examples of touch off
The lawsuit, settled within hours for $20 million, touched off Combs' criminal investigation.
—
Michael R. Sisak, Arkansas Online, 5 May 2025
Overall, the package is touching off the biggest political debate over taxes, spending and the nation’s priorities in nearly a decade.
—Lisa Mascaro, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2025
Greenland’s Flirtations With China Could Backfire After the Trump administration touched off a tariff war, the geopolitical skirmishing between the United States and China over rare earths became a much more complicated conflagration involving the United States, the European Union, and China.
—IEEE Spectrum, 8 May 2025
The bill is touching off opposition — not for redeveloping the trash-to-energy plant — but for again stoking up controversy that has surrounded a push in recent years to close and redevelop the airport.
—Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 4 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for touch off
Michael R. Sisak, Arkansas Online, 5 May 2025
Overall, the package is touching off the biggest political debate over taxes, spending and the nation’s priorities in nearly a decade.
—Lisa Mascaro, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2025
Greenland’s Flirtations With China Could Backfire After the Trump administration touched off a tariff war, the geopolitical skirmishing between the United States and China over rare earths became a much more complicated conflagration involving the United States, the European Union, and China.
—IEEE Spectrum, 8 May 2025
The bill is touching off opposition — not for redeveloping the trash-to-energy plant — but for again stoking up controversy that has surrounded a push in recent years to close and redevelop the airport.
—Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 4 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for touch off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for touch off
Verb
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Resource and organizational constraints are triggering strategic realignments.—
Timothy J. McClimon,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
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With many key military figures already killed in Israeli airstrikes and Iran's nuclear and logistical infrastructure under attack, any power vacuum could trigger instability or factional conflict.—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 June 2025
Verb
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Greenberg's team was activated three days before the storm made landfall, according to Congressional testimony by then-FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell.—
Rebecca Hersher,
NPR,
17 June 2025
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More than 200 water spray features and water playgrounds will also be fully activated across the city by this weekend.—
Kate Armanini,
Chicago Tribune,
17 June 2025
Verb
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Judges have issued dozens of nationwide injunctions in lawsuits that have been brought over Trump administration policies in the months since President Donald Trump’s inauguration, sparking the ire of the president and his allies as much of his agenda has been blocked in court.—
Alison Durkee,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2025
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But so many conversations have been sparked on this topic, conversations that before the movie was out, noone could have.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
27 June 2025
Verb
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The narrative twist: the story is driven not by the characters themselves but by eight distinct emotions in their minds — comedic, romantic, bizarre, and rational.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
19 June 2025
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Category Performance : Running and training categories experienced growth in Q3, driven by new launches (e.g., Pegasus Premium, Vomero 18).—
Michael Khouw,
CNBC,
19 June 2025
Verb
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Pulled along by Valérie like a recalcitrant puppy, Richard sets off on a quest to find the missing man, who may have ties to the Sicilian Mafia.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
25 June 2025
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Santos Neto thrived in his band from 1977 to 1992 before setting off to hone his own, similarly expansive, body of tunes.—
Andrew Gilbert,
Mercury News,
25 June 2025
Verb
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It’s finished in Bianco white over a Rosso red leather interior and powered by a 2.4-liter V-6 mated to a five-speed manual that makes just under 200 hp.—
Bryan Hood,
Robb Report,
24 June 2025
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From the Arsenal of Democracy in World War II to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)’s internet and NASA’s Apollo moonshot, many of America’s greatest achievements were powered not by isolated breakthroughs, but by integrated ecosystems aligned around clear national objectives.—
Toni Townes-Whitley,
Forbes.com,
24 June 2025
Verb
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Wales have done well under Wilkinson to move away from a hardened reputation as being Fishlock’s team and become more of a sum of their parts.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
27 June 2025
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There’s no way to move forward without acknowledging that.—
Cindy Juyoung Ok
June 26,
Literary Hub,
26 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Touch off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/touch%20off. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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