as in activated
to cause to function
his obscene comment touched off a heated debate about the need for censorship on live broadcasts
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Recent Examples of touched off
Investigators said the gunfire stemmed from a dispute that touched off after two groups of young men left the basketball game between North Kansas City and Staley high schools.
—
Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 30 Oct. 2025
The killing of Massey, a mother of two who had long struggled with mental illness, touched off a wave of demonstrations and nationwide calls for police reform.
—Christopher Cann, USA Today, 29 Oct. 2025
That touched off an argument, during which Sweeney flashed a gun in his hip, according to the complaint.
—Chris Ramirez, jsonline.com, 17 Oct. 2025
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
The murder of George Floyd in May of that year touched off protests – frequently violent – in major cities around the country, but the demonstrations in Portland continued for more than 100 consecutive nights.
—Andy Rose, CNN Money, 28 Sep. 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
Then OpenAI’s ChatGPT, released only a few weeks before Mercor’s founding, touched off a race among the tech giants to train the most advanced AI models.
—Richard Nieva, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 30 Oct. 2025
The killing of Massey, a mother of two who had long struggled with mental illness, touched off a wave of demonstrations and nationwide calls for police reform.
—Christopher Cann, USA Today, 29 Oct. 2025
That touched off an argument, during which Sweeney flashed a gun in his hip, according to the complaint.
—Chris Ramirez, jsonline.com, 17 Oct. 2025
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
The murder of George Floyd in May of that year touched off protests – frequently violent – in major cities around the country, but the demonstrations in Portland continued for more than 100 consecutive nights.
—Andy Rose, CNN Money, 28 Sep. 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
Then OpenAI’s ChatGPT, released only a few weeks before Mercor’s founding, touched off a race among the tech giants to train the most advanced AI models.
—Richard Nieva, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for touched off
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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The president additionally activated the District of Columbia National Guard in August for law enforcement activities.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The negative reviews — some going as far as calling All’s Fair the worst show ever with the worst acting — triggered a new media cycle of stories.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
7 Nov. 2025
-
This triggered a state law requiring the campus to either be closed or for the school board to be replaced with a board of managers.—
Lina Ruiz,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Perry and Trudeau first sparked romance rumors over the summer, when they were spotted on a date in Montreal, Canada.—
Nicholas Rice,
PEOPLE,
26 Oct. 2025
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The operation has sparked growing scrutiny over federal tactics.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 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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The suspect, who has not been publicly identified, was said to have intentionally drove into bicycle lanes to strike some of the cyclists, said Christophe Sueur, the mayor of Saint-Pierre d'Oleron.—
Tom Soufi Burridge,
ABC News,
5 Nov. 2025
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Periodically, one or two cars drove up for a box of food, but otherwise, all was quiet.—
Silas Allen,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Touched off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/touched%20off. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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