as in triggering
to cause to function
set off a bomb
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Recent Examples of setting off
Here are the three most important safety questions to ask before setting off on a summer road trip.
—
Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
Tuesday’s rat-trapping marks the start of fieldwork within Argentina's wider investigation into the origin of the contagion that struck the MV Hondius, killing three people, sickening several others and setting off a global scramble to trace passengers and their close contacts.
—ABC News, 19 May 2026
Even minor sparks or drifting embers can incite nearby foliage or grass, setting off a rapidly spreading fire.
—Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 15 May 2026
But Madison rallied in the bottom half, scoring two runs and setting off a wild Senior Day celebration with a 2-1 win that clinched the Eastern League championship.
—John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 May 2026
The film tracks three couples celebrating an engagement who antagonize a real Balinese superstition said to doom relationships, setting off a chain of fractures, suspicion and increasingly bizarre encounters.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 14 May 2026
In the 1960s and 1970s, physicists in Florida and France started intentionally setting off lightning bolts by firing small rockets with sharp points into storm clouds.
—Quanta Magazine, 6 May 2026
Before setting off for the park, check the schedule for the seasonal hiker’s transport shuttle.
—Staff Author, Travel + Leisure, 1 May 2026
Former Canadiens captain Yvan Cournoyer entered the Bell Centre from that plaza holding a torch, walked it into the building and the arena bowl, setting off the Canadiens’ traditional playoff ritual of the ice catching fire, and the building roared.
—Arpon Basu, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026
Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
Tuesday’s rat-trapping marks the start of fieldwork within Argentina's wider investigation into the origin of the contagion that struck the MV Hondius, killing three people, sickening several others and setting off a global scramble to trace passengers and their close contacts.
—ABC News, 19 May 2026
Even minor sparks or drifting embers can incite nearby foliage or grass, setting off a rapidly spreading fire.
—Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 15 May 2026
But Madison rallied in the bottom half, scoring two runs and setting off a wild Senior Day celebration with a 2-1 win that clinched the Eastern League championship.
—John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 May 2026
The film tracks three couples celebrating an engagement who antagonize a real Balinese superstition said to doom relationships, setting off a chain of fractures, suspicion and increasingly bizarre encounters.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 14 May 2026
In the 1960s and 1970s, physicists in Florida and France started intentionally setting off lightning bolts by firing small rockets with sharp points into storm clouds.
—Quanta Magazine, 6 May 2026
Before setting off for the park, check the schedule for the seasonal hiker’s transport shuttle.
—Staff Author, Travel + Leisure, 1 May 2026
Former Canadiens captain Yvan Cournoyer entered the Bell Centre from that plaza holding a torch, walked it into the building and the arena bowl, setting off the Canadiens’ traditional playoff ritual of the ice catching fire, and the building roared.
—Arpon Basu, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for setting off
Verb
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However, in April 2025, the government broke the news that a license would be required for exports of Nvidia's H20 products in the China market, triggering an automatic adjustment to the goals.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
13 May 2026
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Now the Iran war has heaped fresh pressure on those businesses, choking critical shipping lanes, triggering a historic energy shock, and threatening to crimp global demand for Chinese goods across the board.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
13 May 2026
Verb
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Key Takeaways Meditating for 10 to 15 minutes a day can help lower blood pressure by activating the parasympathetic nervous system and relaxing blood vessels.—
Sukhman Rekhi,
Verywell Health,
21 May 2026
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But for the brands activating in grocery aisles, sports bars, and digital feeds, that uncertainty is largely irrelevant.—
Phil Lempert,
Forbes.com,
19 May 2026
Verb
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And the company has made numerous acquisitions (such as Alphasimplex, AGI and Stone Harbor) in hopes of sparking longer-term growth.—
Brett Owens,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
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Polish officials said migrants have used Molotov cocktails in at least two incidents, sparking fires near the border.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
17 May 2026
Verb
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The critical shipping passage has been a key point of the war, driving up gas prices.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
17 May 2026
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Schauffele ranks in the tournament’s top five in both putting and driving, and has hit 28 of 42 fairways this week.—
Brendan Quinn,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
Verb
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But the first of those hits was Andujar turning on a splitter and sending it into the seats beyond left field in the first inning.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 May 2026
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Taylor caught a ball on a slant route and showed his burst of speed, turning on the afterburners to race to the end zone.—
Chris Hays,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 May 2026
Verb
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With two minutes left in the period, Parayko ran Yurov into the boards from behind, touching off a fight between the Blues’ defenseman and Trenin.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
14 Apr. 2026
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Then suddenly, one set charged the other, touching off yearslong bloodshed that researchers are comparing to a human civil war.—
Evan Bush,
NBC news,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Satyanarayanan thinks that the cost of moving workloads around, as well as other expenses such as repairs, may be higher than Span is anticipating—and that these factors will determine whether XFRA scales or remains a clever concept.—
Vanessa Bates Ramirez,
Scientific American,
22 May 2026
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But the measure doesn’t prevent search committees from submitting a single name as a finalist, essentially moving the entire search process behind closed doors.—
Gray Rohrer,
Sun Sentinel,
22 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Setting off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/setting%20off. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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