SETS OFF Synonyms: 65 Similar and Opposite Words

sets off

verb

present tense third-person singular of set off

as in triggers

to cause to function set off a bomb

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Example Sentences

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Recent Examples of sets off Ultimately, Miles sacrifices himself so that the others can escape, holding onto the detonator that sets off a massive explosion until his final breath. — ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2026 The idea that the relationship was ending sets off alarm bells for experts like Nikki Engel, who serves as the co-executive director of Violence Free Minnesota. — Conor Wight, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026 The Southeast Asian nation sits on the Ring of Fire, a band around the Pacific Ocean that sets off frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity. — Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026 That sets off a rescue mission — and also creates dangerous shifts in present-day reality. — Jasmine Vojdani, Vulture, 4 Aug. 2026 But the arrival of two strangers investigating her past sets off a series of events that prompts the residents of Crystal Lake to question who Pam Voorhees really is. — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 31 July 2026 When the whole family sets off on a cross-country road trip to take teen Katie Mitchell to college, a rogue AI hatches a plan to launch all humans into space, and only the Mitchells can stop it. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 24 July 2026 Kit departs, leaving Lauren in tears, and sets off for Wyoming for a new job and a chance at a new life. — Barry Levitt, Time, 23 July 2026 Jessie, with the help of Woody and Buzz, sets off to help Bonnie make some real-world friends. — Rachel Hale, USA Today, 26 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sets off

Verb

Cutting inside opens the diagonal angle and this move immediately triggers the Arsenal players to intersect the line.

— Jon Mackenzie, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
In animals, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) inside the muscle supplies most of the mechanical energy, while an electrical impulse travels along a motor neuron and triggers a chain of events that causes skeletal muscle fibers to contract.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of triggers

Verb

But Argano, who drives Engine 10, isn't quite ready to pack it in.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 11 Sep. 2026
Also at play are generic and biosimilar products that have come onto the market, offering competition that drives down the prices of expensive brand-name and biologic drugs.

— Melissa Goldin, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of drives

Verb

Researchers are adapting the magnetron—the same component that powers microwave ovens—to provide the 10 megawatts of power required for ADS.

— Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 19 Feb. 2026
How Wisconsin's solar battery park powers 130,000 homes The Paris Solar farm began producing power in December 2024 and generates 200 megawatts of renewable electricity during the day.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 23 Sep. 2025

Definition of powers

Verb

Colorado moves way up to one spot ahead of Georgia Tech after blocking the final field goal for the road win over the Yellow Jackets.

— Chris Vannini, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Buoyed by her leadership of the multi-billion-dollar expansion project last decade, Espino moves up from deputy administrator to take full command of the canal.

— ABC News, ABC News, 7 Sep. 2026