as in to set off
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Recent Examples of Synonyms for key (up)
Verb
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The last is dumping iron dust into the Southern Ocean to provoke phytoplankton blooms that would suck heat-trapping carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, a move that set off a backlash when an American entrepreneur tried it off Canada in 2012.—
Alec Luhn,
Scientific American,
11 Sep. 2025 -
The Flotilla set off from Barcelona last week and arrived at the Sidi Bou Said port on Sunday.—
Callum Sutherland,
Time,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The new climb to 550 after the old cap of 450 (which was absolutely insane to reach before), is just not motivating at all.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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And Tebogo, who repeatedly suggested Lyles talks too much, will assuredly be motivated to prove the Olympic win wasn’t a fluke, or just a product of Lyles catching COVID.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Either way, exhausted skin gets a serious pampering session from the cushiony cream’s hydrating hyaluronic acid and soothing bisabolol, plus some reinvigoration from pore-refining, radiance-inducing niacinamide.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
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At this roadside stand, soft-serve cones, towering sundaes, and nostalgia-inducing banana splits taste best eaten under string lights in the warm evening air.—
Lauren Dana Ellman,
Travel + Leisure,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The divine-smelling duo pumps up thin strands like any volumizing formula, but then uses botanical extracts (pea sprout) and Capixyl (made from a biomimetic peptide and red clover extract) to improve scalp health.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
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In the end, the depressing counter, which ended in the red, was pumped up by a pair of donations from Bargatze and CBS, bringing the end total to $350,000.—
Sandra Gonzalez,
CNN Money,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Local police have yet to identify either a suspect or motive in the shooting, while the teenager’s friends and family mourn and look for answers.—
Sean Neumann,
People.com,
8 Aug. 2025
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But the shooting death of UnitedHealth executive Brian Thompson last December, which prosecutors allege was carried out by a gunman who was motived by insurance denials, unleashed a groundswell of public criticism of health insurers’ practices.—
Bertha Coombs,
CNBC,
28 July 2025
Verb
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Oysters inspired the researchers because of their remarkable ability to attach to rocks, bridge pilings, or even each other in the harsh underwater environment.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Sep. 2025
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Odighizuwa said watching his mother’s struggles and strength inspired him to want to help others in the same situation.—
Lawrence Dow,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Kirk’s rise from a suburban Chicago teenager to the face of the Republican Party’s youth wing reshaped the political landscape and energized a new generation of conservatives.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
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Plans are being developed to re-energize transmission lines and restore power to homes affected by the outages.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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As Lyles started to activate his signature top-end speed, his Jamaican competitors continued to pull away ahead of him.—
Katelyn Hutchison,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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The Angels already had a catcher on the concussion list, but Logan O’Hoppe has been progressing well and he’s expected to be activated when the Angels begin a series in Milwaukee on Tuesday.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
13 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Key (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/key%20%28up%29. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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