as in triggers
to cause to function
set off a bomb
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Recent Examples of sets off
The comedy horror film revolves around Brian (Tyler Perry) forbidding his daughter Tiffany (Diamond White) from attending a frat party, which sets off a string of Halloween pranks.
—
Ariana Quihuiz, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
In the Disney+ series of the same name, rebellious princess Kit (Bottoms’ Ruby Cruz) sets off on a dangerous quest to rescue her twin brother from dastardly forces of evil.
—Abby Monteil, Them., 15 Oct. 2025
Instead, Swift sets off in search of a knockout.
—Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2025
The Carbon offers Apple Find My tracker integration and has its own Turbo System Lock that kills the motor and (optionally) sets off lights and siren alarms when the bike is moved while disabled.
—Kevin Purdy, ArsTechnica, 20 Sep. 2025
In Roland Emmerich’s enviro-disasterpiece, climate change sets off a series of events that send massive superstorms across the Earth, hurtling us into a new Ice Age.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2025
The ball smashes into the floodlights, and Hobbs sets off on his victory trot, in slow motion, with sparks cascading behind him like fireworks.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2025
Eager to convince the family of her and March’s love, Nat sets off to become a useful ghost and offers to cleanse the factory.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
The death sets off a chain of events that forces Lilian to revisit her fractured family life and complicated bond with her ex-husband.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025
Ariana Quihuiz, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
In the Disney+ series of the same name, rebellious princess Kit (Bottoms’ Ruby Cruz) sets off on a dangerous quest to rescue her twin brother from dastardly forces of evil.
—Abby Monteil, Them., 15 Oct. 2025
Instead, Swift sets off in search of a knockout.
—Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2025
The Carbon offers Apple Find My tracker integration and has its own Turbo System Lock that kills the motor and (optionally) sets off lights and siren alarms when the bike is moved while disabled.
—Kevin Purdy, ArsTechnica, 20 Sep. 2025
In Roland Emmerich’s enviro-disasterpiece, climate change sets off a series of events that send massive superstorms across the Earth, hurtling us into a new Ice Age.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2025
The ball smashes into the floodlights, and Hobbs sets off on his victory trot, in slow motion, with sparks cascading behind him like fireworks.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2025
Eager to convince the family of her and March’s love, Nat sets off to become a useful ghost and offers to cleanse the factory.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
The death sets off a chain of events that forces Lilian to revisit her fractured family life and complicated bond with her ex-husband.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sets off
Verb
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Nitrogen triggers new growth that will be killed when freezing temperatures hit.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
31 Oct. 2025
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Trading below $1 over a consecutive 30 trading-day period triggers a warning.—
Annie Palmer,
CNBC,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Research shows eye contact is key to satisfying social interactions and activates social parts of the brain.—
Matt Fuchs,
Time,
4 Nov. 2025
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Many remotes include a push-to-talk button that activates voice control only when pressed.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Content creators now use it for just about anything and its appearance often sparks raucous reactions, like in September when a crowd erupted in cheers after an In-N-Out employee called out order number 67.—
Diana Leyva,
Nashville Tennessean,
24 Oct. 2025
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That small question sparks an incredible journey filled with mystery, time travel, battles, and ancient beings known as Watchers.—
Maria Williams,
USA Today,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Surprisingly given her background, Sennott doesn’t cast herself as the online ingénue whose ascendant career drives the story.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
30 Oct. 2025
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Nasser drives a Tesla, which began rolling out its Grok AI conversational assistant feature in July 2025.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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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
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This process, which powers the sun and stars, offers the potential for a virtually limitless power source.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The four-meter-wide telescope can detect faint shifts in light that reveal how plasma moves through the corona, allowing scientists to see the sun in unprecedented detail.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
4 Nov. 2025
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As such, this is a program that will be very interesting to see develop over the coming years and one that the Russian Navy's key adversaries will be watching very closely, as this weapon moves toward operational capability.—
Ryan Chan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sets off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sets%20off. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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