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
Simons forced two of those after receiving a tribute video and an ovation from the Moda Center crowd, then drilling a 3-pointer on his first touch off the bench.
—
Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 29 Dec. 2025
That touched off an argument, during which Sweeney flashed a gun in his hip, according to the complaint.
—Chris Ramirez, jsonline.com, 12 Dec. 2025
The gunfire touched off a mass panic as shoppers fled for the exits while mall security and San Jose police cleared the scene.
—Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 3 Dec. 2025
Before heading out into the backcountry, pick up a Garmin inReach Messenger, 33 percent off, to stay in touch off the grid.
—Alice Bennett, Travel + Leisure, 29 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for touch off
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Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 29 Dec. 2025
That touched off an argument, during which Sweeney flashed a gun in his hip, according to the complaint.
—Chris Ramirez, jsonline.com, 12 Dec. 2025
The gunfire touched off a mass panic as shoppers fled for the exits while mall security and San Jose police cleared the scene.
—Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 3 Dec. 2025
Before heading out into the backcountry, pick up a Garmin inReach Messenger, 33 percent off, to stay in touch off the grid.
—Alice Bennett, Travel + Leisure, 29 Nov. 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 8 Jan. 2026.
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