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
In the immediate aftermath of the finale versus Canada, the nationwide celebration also touched off some controversy of its own.
—
Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 1 Mar. 2026
During the war, Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic ordered the ethnic cleansing of the majority Albanians in Kosovo, burning villages and forcing some 700,000 Kosovo Albanians to seek refuge in neighboring Albania, which touched off NATO intervention.
—Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 28 Feb. 2026
Among them was the brother of Sylville Smith, whose death at the hands of police touched off three days of rioting.
—La Risa R. Lynch, jsonline.com, 19 Feb. 2026
The corruption allegations touched off widespread outrage, sparking protests in recent months.
—Chris Massaro, FOXNews.com, 13 Feb. 2026
The cigar then touched off cotton goods stored in the warehouse.
—Jacques Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 7 Feb. 2026
The sprint to build these sprawling facilities, which hold racks of humming servers powered by expensive processors, has touched off an unprecedented level of borrowing, pinched energy supplies and brought developers into conflict with communities worried about rising power and water costs.
—Bloomberg Wire, Dallas Morning News, 6 Feb. 2026
Meanwhile, history shows that major Bitcoin crashes have typically been touched off by multiple factors, not a single event.
—Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 6 Feb. 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
Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 1 Mar. 2026
During the war, Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic ordered the ethnic cleansing of the majority Albanians in Kosovo, burning villages and forcing some 700,000 Kosovo Albanians to seek refuge in neighboring Albania, which touched off NATO intervention.
—Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 28 Feb. 2026
Among them was the brother of Sylville Smith, whose death at the hands of police touched off three days of rioting.
—La Risa R. Lynch, jsonline.com, 19 Feb. 2026
The corruption allegations touched off widespread outrage, sparking protests in recent months.
—Chris Massaro, FOXNews.com, 13 Feb. 2026
The cigar then touched off cotton goods stored in the warehouse.
—Jacques Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 7 Feb. 2026
The sprint to build these sprawling facilities, which hold racks of humming servers powered by expensive processors, has touched off an unprecedented level of borrowing, pinched energy supplies and brought developers into conflict with communities worried about rising power and water costs.
—Bloomberg Wire, Dallas Morning News, 6 Feb. 2026
Meanwhile, history shows that major Bitcoin crashes have typically been touched off by multiple factors, not a single event.
—Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 6 Feb. 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for touched off
Verb
-
Murphy walks his dog daily near the intersection of Geary and 7th, where the SFMTA activated one of 33 speed safety cameras across the city last March.—
Kenny Choi,
CBS News,
3 Mar. 2026
-
The drone unit – Task Force Scorpion Strike (TFSS) – was activated in the Middle East late last year, a CENTCOM statement said.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Europe and Asian economies could be hit by a prolonged surge in natural gas prices triggered by the ongoing war in the Middle East, analysts have warned.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
4 Mar. 2026
-
If no candidate reaches that threshold, a runoff election will be triggered between the top two vote getters in May.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The statue stood at Dallas Love Field airport for nearly 60 years before it was removed in June 2020, days after George Floyd’s killing sparked nationwide protests and prompted the reassessment of monuments across Texas and the country.—
Marley Malenfant,
Austin American Statesman,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Iran postponed the funeral for its former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose killing has sparked a succession race that hardliners appear poised to win.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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As the contentious hearing unfolded in Washington, an ICE agent shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Good hundreds of miles away on the streets of Minneapolis, setting off what would become weeks of unrelenting protests and lawsuits against the administration.—
Danya Gainor,
CNN Money,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Jane sets off for law school, while her brother heads to the police academy.—
Hamilton Cain,
Time,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Kaitlyn Thurman had 3 hits, including a home run, scored 3 runs and drove in 6 runs for West.—
NWA Democrat-Gazette,
Arkansas Online,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Stacey Wondra told the detectives that after placing Michael in the duffel bag, the group drove him to a house in Kuna and put him in a spare room, the affidavit said.—
Alex Brizee
March 3,
Idaho Statesman,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Touched off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/touched%20off. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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