as in to trigger
to cause to function
his obscene comment touched off a heated debate about the need for censorship on live broadcasts
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of touch off
The hit touched off a fight, and ended with Minnesota on a power play, which would produce their first goal of the night.
—
Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 15 Oct. 2025
Their disappearance was not noticed for several hours and touched off a massive manhunt.
—Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2025
Bailey did more than amplify the Giants’ resurgent playoff hopes when his bases-clearing home run clinched a 5-1 victory and touched off mass euphoria in China Basin.
—Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025
Williams said, touching off laughter.
—Tom Murphy, Arkansas Online, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for touch off
Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 15 Oct. 2025
Their disappearance was not noticed for several hours and touched off a massive manhunt.
—Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2025
Bailey did more than amplify the Giants’ resurgent playoff hopes when his bases-clearing home run clinched a 5-1 victory and touched off mass euphoria in China Basin.
—Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025
Williams said, touching off laughter.
—Tom Murphy, Arkansas Online, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for touch off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for touch off
Verb
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Akaganeite gripped pollutants most strongly, but lepidocrocite had more chemically active sites that triggered faster bond breaking.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Nov. 2025
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But Novo Nordisk launched a takeover bid Thursday valuing the biotech at around $6 billion, or up to $9 billion, triggering a deadline of four business days for Pfizer to renegotiate its offer.—
Annika Kim Constantino,
CNBC,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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National Guard troops have been staging at Portland training bases for weeks while the legal case plays out, having been activated to protect federal officials and an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility that has been the focal point of daily protests since June.—
Danya Gainor,
CNN Money,
3 Nov. 2025
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Ensure your vehicle is visible to others by using low-beam headlights, which also activate your taillights.—
KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT,
Kansas City Star,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Brown was 20 at the time, and Bongiovi was 22, which sparked some online controversy.—
Janelle Ash,
FOXNews.com,
8 Nov. 2025
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China’s apparent surge in missile production comes as the US expends sophisticated defense systems in Ukraine and Israel, causing some ammunition shortages and sparking debate in Washington about how and where to deploy its high-end weapons.—
Tamara Qiblawi,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Not in any explicit way—my father wasn’t the cranky, alcoholic ex-minor league baseball player who drove around Los Angeles with his pool cleaning equipment in the back of his Cadillac convertible played by Matthau.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Nov. 2025
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Holcomb had driven all the way from Heber Springs with her daughter at the prospect of free food.—
Daniel McFadin,
Arkansas Online,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Before setting off, many migrants wrapped T-shirts around their faces as protection from the blistering sun.—
Daniel Gonzalez,
AZCentral.com,
6 Nov. 2025
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The police set off to raid the premises.—
Mick Krever,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Clean energy is driving a state of 40 million people, offering more affordable energy and creating reliable jobs that will power the future.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
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In an interview with Fortune, Brockman described building AGI as an end-to-end engineering challenge, one that spans everything from how the models are designed to the chips, servers, and data centers that power the training and running of models.—
Sharon Goldman,
Fortune,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The buttery-soft fabric is lightweight and stretchy enough to move with you while still retaining its shape over time.—
Sophie Dodd,
Travel + Leisure,
26 Oct. 2025
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On top of that responsibility and stress, he was frustrated with the Blazers’ losing and his role moving forward.—
Jason Quick,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Touch off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/touch%20off. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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