as in to set off
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for key (up)
Verb
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Even minor sparks or drifting embers can incite nearby foliage or grass, setting off a rapidly spreading fire.—
Bay Area Weather Report,
Mercury News,
9 June 2026 -
Instead, the member of the fire department manually set off the sirens on his own, which ran for three minutes before shutting down.—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
9 June 2026
Verb
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Implement a clear referral thank-you policy with thoughtful gestures to motivate continued support.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
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Police still have not said what motivated the killing.—
Kerry Burke,
New York Daily News,
6 June 2026
Verb
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That chased Lake Creek starter Tripp Riley, a sophomore, and Caden Whitworth came on in relief and promptly induced a double-play comebacker and a popout to center to end the inning.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
6 June 2026
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Match play naturally induces fatigue and can disrupt sleep.—
Alan McCall,
New York Times,
5 June 2026
Verb
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Scientists who studied the second plume, the one created from sediment pumped up to the ship, found that the mud particles could starve tiny zooplankton, potentially creating a chain of consequences throughout the marine food web.—
Harry Stevens,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
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The ValerionMaster Max 4K laser projector runs on the NoirScene Dark Engine, which helps pump up the contrast between shadows and light sources to create dynamic visuals.—
George Yang,
PC Magazine,
27 May 2026
Verb
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No information has yet been provided on a suspect or motive in the incident.—
Dean Fioresi,
CBS News,
10 June 2026
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Prosecutors have said Mangione's notebook entries speak to motive.—
Peter Charalambous,
ABC News,
18 May 2026
Verb
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When reconstructing the Inquisition trial of a sixteenth-century northern Italian miller, historian Carlo Ginzburg encountered a line that would eventually inspire the title of his paradigm-shifting study The Cheese and the Worms.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
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Though all eyes will be on North America, the national pride this event inspires – and the staggered start times that will allow fans watching back in their home countries to take in their teams during sort-of-normal hours – will stir incredible excitement and patriotism all around the world.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
11 June 2026
Verb
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That decision had as much to do as anything in the 1850s with completely polarizing American politics, to use our term today, and, indeed, energizing the Republican Party of the late 1850s and winning, indeed, the presidency by 1860.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
10 June 2026
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The arrival of cruise ships – gliding through tight passages between the surrounding islands – energizes the city each day.—
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
10 June 2026
Verb
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Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams.—
Harriette Cole,
Mercury News,
8 June 2026
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Even 15 minutes of disconnection allows the brain’s default mode network to activate, when memory consolidation and creative connections actually occur.—
William Jones
June 8,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 June 2026
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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 12 Jun. 2026.
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