TOUCH OFF Synonyms: 65 Similar and Opposite Words

touch off

verb

Definition of touch off

as in to trigger

to cause to function his obscene comment touched off a heated debate about the need for censorship on live broadcasts

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of touch off Meanwhile, an electric color palette of zingy greens, bold reds, and Prussian blues–touched off with plenty of black accents–amplifies the property’s wildly original juxtaposition of antiquity and modernity. — Alexandra Kirkman, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026 The still-unknown circumstances around Wells’ death have touched off rampant online speculation and prompted calls from Black leaders for transparency from local authorities. — ABC News, 21 July 2026 The receivership touched off a painful community journey that brought on job reductions, layoffs and school closures as enrollment sharply declined. — Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026 But on its way to him, the ball took the smallest of touches off teammate Igor Matanović. — Ben Church, CNN Money, 3 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for touch off

Recent Examples of Synonyms for touch off

Verb

Georgia Tech engineers have developed a wireless networking system that lets tiny implants communicate through body tissue, potentially allowing sensors in one part of the body to trigger treatment somewhere else.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2026
Rather than simply flagging when a live stream has broken, Pixentinel aims to determine where a failure originated supplu evidence to the diagnosis and, where possible, automatically trigger a response.

— Callum McLennan, Variety, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of trigger

Verb

More than 120 National Guard members were activated, part of roughly 400 statewide after the governor issued an emergency proclamation.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 29 Sep. 2026
Business continuity treats disruption as the baseline condition and designs operations accordingly, with integrated data, predictive intelligence and prebuilt response playbooks that activate before a situation has fully materialized.

— Abha Dogra, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of activate

Verb

Several vehicles caught fire outside a Homestead home early Tuesday morning, with the flames spreading to the house as investigators work to determine what sparked the blaze.

— Morgan Rynor, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026
The next general election does not have to be called until 2029, but Labour’s revival has sparked talk of a snap election.

— ABC News, ABC News, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of spark

Verb

The nation's flood insurance program struggles to balance affordability, flood protection and cost to taxpayers, leaving millions vulnerable at a time when climate change is driving flood risk higher.

— MICHAEL PHILLIS, Arkansas Online, 30 Sep. 2026
These, then collided with boron nuclei and helped drive the fusion reaction rate beyond 100 million reactions per second.

— Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of drive

Verb

In order to set off a bioweapon, for example, AI models (without people) would somehow have to access sensitive and highly restricted material, enter incredibly sophisticated laboratories, operate this equipment, and determine mechanisms of release.

— Rumman Chowdhury, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2026
Melius gave it a solid try and had a pretty strong plan to make back his money, winning approval from the Town of Huntington to set off five acres and build 95 condos there, according to a listing from Adam Modlin’s team.

— Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of set off

Verb

Because the data center boom is so new, there has not yet been a comprehensive study analyzing how much more electricity and hence pollution is being generated to power them.

— Anna Zarra Aldrich, Hartford Courant, 25 Sep. 2026
Officials where the facility is being built have delayed permits necessary to power the project, and Oracle may seek to delay lease payments.

— Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of power

Verb

There are about a million moving parts, and everybody involved is an outsized character.

— Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026
Justices Elena Kagan, Ketanji Brown Jackson, and Sonia Sotomayor dissented, arguing that allowing the case to move forward prevents the lower court from considering Pike’s allegations from her childhood.

— Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 1 Oct. 2026