as in activated
to cause to function
his obscene comment touched off a heated debate about the need for censorship on live broadcasts
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 touched off
That touched off speculation that perhaps a bachelorette party or some kind of pre-wedding celebration was afoot.
—
Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 20 June 2026
The decision touched off a heated political confrontation, with calls from the opposition for Sanchez's Socialist government to resign.
—ABC News, 20 June 2026
Those moves are likely to be touched off by planned office-to-residential elsewhere in Windsor and in the broader region, Greenberg said.
—Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 17 June 2026
That touched off a conservative firestorm online, even though Wembanyama is French, meaning his country’s anthem wasn’t being played.
—Michelle L. Price, Fortune, 6 June 2026
The race has touched off negative campaign advertisements between Feenstra and leading opponent and businessman Zach Lahn.
—Cooper Worth, Des Moines Register, 2 June 2026
In 1971, Nixon replaced Martin with a distinguished economist, Arthur Burns, whose policies touched off the great inflation.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 31 May 2026
McBride, the Commodores, Morris Day & the Time and Young MC have all either withdrawn or publicly denied participation after the lineup reveal touched off immediate backlash.
—Spin Staff, SPIN, 29 May 2026
The boom in the market was touched off by the overnight success of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which showed that chatbots could answer users’ questions in conversational fashion, threatening to make Google’s list of links to websites obsolete.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 20 May 2026
Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 20 June 2026
The decision touched off a heated political confrontation, with calls from the opposition for Sanchez's Socialist government to resign.
—ABC News, 20 June 2026
Those moves are likely to be touched off by planned office-to-residential elsewhere in Windsor and in the broader region, Greenberg said.
—Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 17 June 2026
That touched off a conservative firestorm online, even though Wembanyama is French, meaning his country’s anthem wasn’t being played.
—Michelle L. Price, Fortune, 6 June 2026
The race has touched off negative campaign advertisements between Feenstra and leading opponent and businessman Zach Lahn.
—Cooper Worth, Des Moines Register, 2 June 2026
In 1971, Nixon replaced Martin with a distinguished economist, Arthur Burns, whose policies touched off the great inflation.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 31 May 2026
McBride, the Commodores, Morris Day & the Time and Young MC have all either withdrawn or publicly denied participation after the lineup reveal touched off immediate backlash.
—Spin Staff, SPIN, 29 May 2026
The boom in the market was touched off by the overnight success of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which showed that chatbots could answer users’ questions in conversational fashion, threatening to make Google’s list of links to websites obsolete.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 20 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for touched off
Verb
-
Get a year of complimentary Apple TV when activated by December 31, 2026 - a value of $156.—
Ryley Amond,
CNBC,
23 June 2026
-
Star shortstop Francisco Lindor (calf) is scheduled to play another rehab game on Tuesday and could be activated shortly thereafter.—
James O'Connell,
New York Daily News,
22 June 2026
Verb
-
Meanwhile, questions about how much DHS paid for some warehouses triggered an internal audit.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 June 2026
-
The avatar on Bonsu Baah’s Instagram page is a photograph of his mother, whose sudden death four years ago triggered a change in his thinking.—
Simon Hughes,
New York Times,
23 June 2026
Verb
-
The Alexander Mountain Fire sparked west of Loveland on July 29, 2024.—
Dillon Thomas,
CBS News,
25 June 2026
-
This has generated some confusion in the community, and sparked outrage from the owners of the previous Bud’s, which was run by the Ziyadeh family for over 30 years.—
Sean Timberlake,
Sacbee.com,
24 June 2026
Verb
-
With the country cash-strapped, the Arab Spring of 2011 set off a wave of mass migration into Europe, which coincided with the widespread perception that the extra numbers were placing further strains on already creaking resources of jobs, housing and healthcare.—
Alexander Smith,
NBC news,
23 June 2026
-
Prosecutors said that the group launched a premeditated terror attack on the detention facility inspired by antifa ideology, by setting off fireworks, vandalizing property, and shooting at police officers who responded.—
Matthew Ablon,
CBS News,
23 June 2026
Verb
-
O'Hearn doubled twice, including one that drove in a pair in the seventh.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
25 June 2026
-
Bev Hendry, 72, and his brother, Brian Hendry, 67, drove to Miami in a van after attending the two games in Boston along with friends Bob Greig, 70, Steve Docherty, 56, and John Erskine, 77.—
Claire Heddles,
Miami Herald,
25 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Touched off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/touched%20off. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
