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
But while the status of the military units in Los Angeles remains undecided, the immigration raids that touched off the protests in early June have intensified.
—
Martin Kaste, NPR, 19 June 2025
Widespread poverty in rural areas, high unemployment, and poor infrastructure were key triggers behind the 2011 mass protests that toppled a 23-year dictatorship and touched off the Arab Spring uprisings.
—Meriem Belhiba, Christian Science Monitor, 10 June 2025
The op-ed’s publication touched off a leak investigation in Trump’s first White House.
—Rebecca Santana, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2025
The detainment of Dylan, 20, a Venezuelan citizen whose last name has been withheld at the request of his family, has touched off fear among immigrants, parents, educators and students.
—Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 27 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for touch off
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Martin Kaste, NPR, 19 June 2025
Widespread poverty in rural areas, high unemployment, and poor infrastructure were key triggers behind the 2011 mass protests that toppled a 23-year dictatorship and touched off the Arab Spring uprisings.
—Meriem Belhiba, Christian Science Monitor, 10 June 2025
The op-ed’s publication touched off a leak investigation in Trump’s first White House.
—Rebecca Santana, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2025
The detainment of Dylan, 20, a Venezuelan citizen whose last name has been withheld at the request of his family, has touched off fear among immigrants, parents, educators and students.
—Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 27 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 3 Jul. 2025.
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