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
The rapid decline was touched off by World War l and punctuated by the Great Depression.
—
Christopher Cann, USA Today, 26 May 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for touch off
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Christopher Cann, USA Today, 26 May 2025
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
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 14 Jun. 2025.
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