as in to set off
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Recent Examples of Synonyms for key (up)
Verb
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The hairstylist who accidentally set off the sprinklers called Fishers Fire Department.—
Ashlyn Robinette,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025 -
Russia’s last nuclear test was in 1990 and the US last set off a nuclear device in 1992.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Later that century the rising importance of waterborne commerce for Europe’s maritime powers helped motivate efforts to map Earth’s magnetic field.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Oct. 2025
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Mosquera had gotten to know the couple, who were in a civil partnership, over a number of years and had been staying with them for about a month prior to the murders, which prosecutors said were motivated by finances.—
Nicole Acosta,
PEOPLE,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Geomagnetically induced currents—or GICs—surge across Earth’s surface.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Oct. 2025
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Long-term effects on other cell types, including fibroblasts, and on innervations and vascularization would need to be considered before considering inducing skin irritation for human applications.—
Jasmine Laws,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Springsteen was reportedly a frequent visitor on the set of Deliver Me From Nowhere — undoubtedly pumping up the extras, and presumably stressing out the actors.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
27 Oct. 2025
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All of Canada is going to be so pumped up.—
Peter Chawaga,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The complaint did not cite evidence of direct involvement or motive connected to the IDS, but the discovery process, if reached, may unearth new information.—
Cate Charron,
IndyStar,
30 Oct. 2025
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The study, by the libertarian think tank Cato Institute, found that terrorists motived by extreme slices of right-leaning ideology killed six times more people than those on the other side of the political spectrum between 1975 and Sept. 10, 2025.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Its success inspired a wave of canal building in other states, although the economic benefit of these other canals is dubious in retrospect.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
26 Oct. 2025
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The aftermath of that crash inspired her branch of the Brown family tree to reshape the Louisville medical scene.—
Maggie Menderski,
Louisville Courier Journal,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The outcome will reverberate throughout Europe and could energize other centrist parties looking to fend off the populist far right.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
30 Oct. 2025
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The standard answer was that Mamdani won the Democratic primary by energizing young voters, leaving Democrats with no option but to endorse their party’s nominee.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The moon activating Neptune puts you in daydream mode.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
26 Oct. 2025
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The fat overload in astrocytes and microglia activates inflammatory pathways.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
26 Oct. 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 1 Nov. 2025.
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