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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of touch off
Trump’s move is likely to touch off an extensive legal battle that will probably go to the Supreme Court and could disrupt financial markets, potentially pushing interest rates higher.
—
Chris Rugaber, Chicago Tribune, 26 Aug. 2025
That led to the Fed chief signaling rate cuts ahead, which touched off a powerful Friday market rally .
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 24 Aug. 2025
Thompson was gunned down at about 6:44 a.m. on Dec. 4 on Sixth Avenue, near the New York Hilton Midtown, touching off a massive manhunt throughout the Northeast.
—Chloe Atkins, NBC news, 13 Aug. 2025
Anderson's murder touched off months of heartbreaking demonstrations, marches and vigils.
—Chris Ramirez, jsonline.com, 1 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for touch off
Chris Rugaber, Chicago Tribune, 26 Aug. 2025
That led to the Fed chief signaling rate cuts ahead, which touched off a powerful Friday market rally .
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 24 Aug. 2025
Thompson was gunned down at about 6:44 a.m. on Dec. 4 on Sixth Avenue, near the New York Hilton Midtown, touching off a massive manhunt throughout the Northeast.
—Chloe Atkins, NBC news, 13 Aug. 2025
Anderson's murder touched off months of heartbreaking demonstrations, marches and vigils.
—Chris Ramirez, jsonline.com, 1 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for touch off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for touch off
Verb
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By repeatedly claiming that adverse court rulings would trigger depression-level economic catastrophe, the president has effectively told investors exactly how severe the disruption could be.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
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Such a move could trigger a separation-of-powers showdown, though one that some legal experts say could be fruitless due to years of precedent preventing such lawsuits.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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By that point though, United had activated on signing Senne Lammens.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
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Follow the link above to activate the best FanDuel promo code offer.—
Tyler Everett,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The fire is assumed to have been sparked by lightning.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
6 Sep. 2025
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The federal government filed two lawsuits Thursday against Southern California Edison, alleging the utility’s equipment sparked fires including January’s Eaton Fire in the Los Angeles area, which destroyed more than 9,400 structures and killed 17 people.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The woman who was driving the vehicle was fatally injured and a man riding in the vehicle was taken to an area hospital with critical injuries.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
2 Sep. 2025
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The question of whether driving barefoot is safe isn't so cut and dry.—
Georgea Kovanis,
USA Today,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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One of his owners had gotten home from work and didn’t see him, setting off a search for clues.—
Simone Jasper,
Charlotte Observer,
4 Sep. 2025
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Pick one of the gateway towns to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, like Gatlinburg, Tennessee, or Bryson City, North Carolina, and set off on your leaf-peeping long weekend.—
Lydia Mansel,
Southern Living,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The permit applications showed oil companies requested to flare or vent more than 195 billion cubic feet of natural gas per year, enough to power more than 3 million homes and generate millions of dollars of tax revenue had the gas been captured.—
ProPublica,
ProPublica,
4 Sep. 2025
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Inside, MediaTek Brings the Brains Samsung uses a MediaTek 9400+ processor to power the Tab S11 line, an upgrade from the MediaTek 9300+ in the Tab S10 series.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Officers said — and video showed — the rancher moved his hands into his jacket after exiting his truck immediately following the crash.—
Nicole Blanchard,
Idaho Statesman,
7 Sep. 2025
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The website’s mobile observatory — which moves about in search of clear skies — will this year be in Cyprus, where the partial eclipse phases occur 30 minutes after moonrise, with totality an hour after that.—
Jamie Carter,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Touch off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/touch%20off. Accessed 8 Sep. 2025.
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