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
As San Jose police and other law enforcement agencies converged on the site, authorities say Husien rushed a police sergeant who had just arrived and opened fire, touching off a close-range gunfight in which the sergeant was grazed in the head by a bullet.
—
Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2026
Both threats touched off fury in Europe, where governments had spent most of the past year making concessions to Trump on both military spending and tariffs.
—Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026
Akbarin is a supporter of Mir Hossein Mousavi, the former prime minister of the Islamic Republic whose reformist candidacy for the presidency touched off the 2009 Green Movement.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 20 Jan. 2026
The fatal encounter has touched off protests in Minneapolis and calls for accountability for immigration officers, whose tactics have resulted in at least 10 other shootings since September.
—Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 18 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for touch off
Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2026
Both threats touched off fury in Europe, where governments had spent most of the past year making concessions to Trump on both military spending and tariffs.
—Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026
Akbarin is a supporter of Mir Hossein Mousavi, the former prime minister of the Islamic Republic whose reformist candidacy for the presidency touched off the 2009 Green Movement.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 20 Jan. 2026
The fatal encounter has touched off protests in Minneapolis and calls for accountability for immigration officers, whose tactics have resulted in at least 10 other shootings since September.
—Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 18 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for touch off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for touch off
Verb
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Held for weeks with no contact The protests began in late December, triggered by anger over spiraling prices, and quickly spread across the country.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
14 Feb. 2026
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The protests began in late December, triggered by anger over spiraling prices, and quickly spread across the country.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The garage sprinkler system had activated, helping control the fire prior to the department’s arrival, according to officials.—
Aurora Beacon-News,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Feb. 2026
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Ensure your vehicle is visible to others by using low-beam headlights, which also activate your taillights.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Another chart provides a clue to the massive error in revenue projections by Newsom’s budget staff in 2022 which sparked the spending surge.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
17 Feb. 2026
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The first meeting, held at a Chinese restaurant in Lima on December 26, sparked controversy after images showed the president entering the establishment wearing a hood.—
CNN staff,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Molecular motion drives repair In earlier animal studies, a single injection 24 hours after severe injury enabled mice to regain the ability to walk within weeks.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Feb. 2026
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The San Francisco Department of Emergency Management advised the public to secure loose outdoor items, watch for falling branches, and use caution while driving or walking.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Jackson visited Minneapolis in 2021 to support protesters awaiting the verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former police officer who was convicted days later of killing George Floyd in an incident that set off national protests and violence.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
17 Feb. 2026
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But Greenland set off alarm bells for another reason.—
Thomas Robertson,
Fortune,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Jordan Sousa dazzled with six goals and three assists, pairing with Timmy O’Malley (hat trick, three assists) to power Hudson to an 11-0 Mid-Wach win over Gardner.—
Tyler McManus,
Boston Herald,
17 Feb. 2026
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London served as the central intelligence hub, responsible for developing the AI systems and Vision-Language-Action (VLA) frameworks that power the robot’s cognition.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Montage founder, Alan Fuerstman, personally moves into every new property for its first month of operations to ensure the brand’s signature five-star service is up to snuff.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
20 Feb. 2026
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The players could feel the former United and Wales winger starting to move up the gears.—
Andy Mitten,
New York Times,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Touch off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/touch%20off. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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