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
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
The selloff on Tuesday extended a days-long market decline touched off by U.S. tariffs imposed last week on Canada, Mexico and China, some of which were delayed.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for touch off
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
The selloff on Tuesday extended a days-long market decline touched off by U.S. tariffs imposed last week on Canada, Mexico and China, some of which were delayed.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 11 Mar. 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 7 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share