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
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
The killing touched off a massive response from law enforcement that led investigators to a residence in Kansas City’s Davidson neighborhood in the Northland.
—Kansas City Star, 22 Sep. 2025
But both further polarized a nation already deeply divided by political ideology and touched off a movement to punish those whose views did not fall in line with the prevailing sentiment of the moment.
—Michael Collins, USA Today, 20 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
The explosions and fire touched off July 1 on a rural compound near County Roads 23 and 86A, where two fireworks companies — Devastating Pyrotechnics and BlackStar Fireworks — were storing materials.
—Joe Rubin, Sacbee.com, 29 Aug. 2025
That led to the Fed chief signaling rate cuts ahead, which touched off a powerful Friday market rally .
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 24 Aug. 2025
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
The killing touched off a massive response from law enforcement that led investigators to a residence in Kansas City’s Davidson neighborhood in the Northland.
—Kansas City Star, 22 Sep. 2025
But both further polarized a nation already deeply divided by political ideology and touched off a movement to punish those whose views did not fall in line with the prevailing sentiment of the moment.
—Michael Collins, USA Today, 20 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
The explosions and fire touched off July 1 on a rural compound near County Roads 23 and 86A, where two fireworks companies — Devastating Pyrotechnics and BlackStar Fireworks — were storing materials.
—Joe Rubin, Sacbee.com, 29 Aug. 2025
That led to the Fed chief signaling rate cuts ahead, which touched off a powerful Friday market rally .
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 24 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for touched off
Verb
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The Harvard, Illinois Police Department said in a news release that the couple were found when an officer on October 6 noticed a parked car with its hazard lights activated.—
Adam Sabes,
FOXNews.com,
13 Oct. 2025
-
It’s expected to last into Monday, authorizing the state’s emergency services personnel to be activated as necessary.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The assassination of Charlie Kirk last month and an attack on a Dallas ICE facility have triggered anxiety from conservatives about rising political violence.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Van Edwards said it should only be used when genuinely triggered by a thought or association.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The backlash and controversy sparked by the revelation led Platner’s political director, former Maine State Representative Genevieve McDonald, to resign from his campaign.—
Peter Aitken,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Oct. 2025
-
Panahi was detained and locked up shortly before the death of Mahsa (Jina) Amini, which sparked the Women, Life, Freedom movement.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Setting it in one building also set off ah-ha moments.—
Carole Horst,
Variety,
15 Oct. 2025
-
If enough satellites are in orbit, this debris could set off a chain reaction, rendering the environment around Earth practically impassable.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The vehicle Kinser drove was returned to its usual spot, but no one saw its return.—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA Today,
15 Oct. 2025
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Some Democrats were concerned the bill created grey areas if a parent lent their car to their child who drove recklessly.—
Hope Karnopp,
jsonline.com,
15 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Touched off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/touched%20off. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
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