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 perhaps the most profound of the recent battles, the Central Florida Expressway Authority touched off an angry revolt by pushing a toll-road extension through a piece of the Split Oak Forest.
—
Stephen Hudak, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 May 2026
Police say a driver possibly suffering a medical emergency touched off a five-car chain-reaction crash near Westfield Oakridge Mall on Saturday afternoon that left another motorist dead, and forced officers to pull the initial driver and a child from their burning vehicle.
—Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 4 May 2026
His death at age 80 has touched off a scramble among candidates seeking to fill the remainder of his term and take his seat in Congress for a full term beginning next year.
—Greg Bluestein, AJC.com, 2 May 2026
Their disappearance was not noticed for several hours and touched off a massive manhunt.
—Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 30 Apr. 2026
This includes soaring gas prices at the pump, seesawing stock markets, rising food and fertilizer prices, higher shipping-insurance costs, and fuel shortages that have touched off violence, work stoppages, and profiteering in parts of Asia and Africa.
—Sudarsan Raghavan, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2026
Her announcement touched off a new round of progressive candidates backing away from the Iron Dome.
—Andrew Lapin, Sun Sentinel, 20 Apr. 2026
The movie touched off nationwide controversy when it was first released because of the real-world violence that seemed to follow in its wake.
—Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
That touched off a political firestorm and ultimately led Congress to pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which forced the Justice Department to make public all of the Epstein files in its possession.
—Ryan Lucas, NPR, 2 Apr. 2026
Stephen Hudak, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 May 2026
Police say a driver possibly suffering a medical emergency touched off a five-car chain-reaction crash near Westfield Oakridge Mall on Saturday afternoon that left another motorist dead, and forced officers to pull the initial driver and a child from their burning vehicle.
—Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 4 May 2026
His death at age 80 has touched off a scramble among candidates seeking to fill the remainder of his term and take his seat in Congress for a full term beginning next year.
—Greg Bluestein, AJC.com, 2 May 2026
Their disappearance was not noticed for several hours and touched off a massive manhunt.
—Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 30 Apr. 2026
This includes soaring gas prices at the pump, seesawing stock markets, rising food and fertilizer prices, higher shipping-insurance costs, and fuel shortages that have touched off violence, work stoppages, and profiteering in parts of Asia and Africa.
—Sudarsan Raghavan, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2026
Her announcement touched off a new round of progressive candidates backing away from the Iron Dome.
—Andrew Lapin, Sun Sentinel, 20 Apr. 2026
The movie touched off nationwide controversy when it was first released because of the real-world violence that seemed to follow in its wake.
—Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
That touched off a political firestorm and ultimately led Congress to pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which forced the Justice Department to make public all of the Epstein files in its possession.
—Ryan Lucas, NPR, 2 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for touched off
Verb
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Psychological and emotional wounds from early life can be activated anytime − whether while walking through Target, or just before hopping on the phone with a reporter.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
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However, the report said the chief did identify himself and had lights activated on his unmarked police car.—
Kerri Corrado,
CBS News,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The United Nations Development Programme reports that higher energy prices, disrupted food systems, and economic slowdowns triggered by the war could push up to thirty-two million people globally into poverty.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2026
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While the legislature required most involuntary tows from apartments to be triggered by specific complaints, residents said towing companies are continuing to patrol public housing and low-income apartment complexes and tow cars for minor violations.—
Ginny Monk,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The multiyear deal brings together two infrastructure players that have seen their fortunes skyrocket since the launch in 2022 of OpenAI's ChatGPT, which sparked an explosion of investments into new processors and systems for powering cutting-edge AI models and workloads.—
Katie Tarasov,
CNBC,
6 May 2026
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In the northeastern city of Kharkiv, the ministry said, two women were injured by a drone strike on a house in the southwest of the city which also sparked a fire.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
6 May 2026
Verb
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Some analysts have raised alarms about how weakness in a key node of the web, like OpenAI, could set off a chain reaction that could threaten the entire AI ecosystem.—
Rob Wile,
NBC news,
28 Apr. 2026
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Dozens of people wearing masks shut down I-77 to set off fireworks in the middle of the interstate.—
Joe Bruno,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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More damage came in the third, when Warren issued a leadoff walk before Ezequiel Duran drove an RBI double to the gap.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
7 May 2026
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Daniels allegedly drove more than 150 mph while attempting to flee police in Commerce, Georgia.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Touched off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/touched%20off. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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