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
Akbarin is a supporter of Mir Hossein Mousavi, the former prime minister of the Islamic Republic whose reformist candidacy for the presidency touched off the 2009 Green Movement.
—
Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 20 Jan. 2026
The fatal encounter has touched off protests in Minneapolis and calls for accountability for immigration officers, whose tactics have resulted in at least 10 other shootings since September.
—Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 18 Jan. 2026
Newsom’s declaration touched off a spending spree that boosted outlays by $14 billion.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 13 Jan. 2026
Newsom’s declaration touched off a spending spree that boosted outlays by $14 billion.
—Dan Walters, Oc Register, 12 Jan. 2026
The strike had been touched off by employees of PDVSA, the Venezuelan national oil company, who objected to Chavez summarily firing experienced, technocratic PDVSA executives and replacing them with political cronies.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 11 Jan. 2026
The number of homicides in some of California’s biggest cities dropped to remarkably low levels in 2025, a piece of good news that immediately touched off debate about who, or what, was responsible.
—James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
That touched off an argument, during which Sweeney flashed a gun in his hip, according to the complaint.
—Chris Ramirez, jsonline.com, 12 Dec. 2025
The shootings followed a September Free Press investigation that found at least 20% of department shootings in the past decade were touched off by nonviolent stops.
—Violet Ikonomova, Freep.com, 29 Nov. 2025
Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 20 Jan. 2026
The fatal encounter has touched off protests in Minneapolis and calls for accountability for immigration officers, whose tactics have resulted in at least 10 other shootings since September.
—Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 18 Jan. 2026
Newsom’s declaration touched off a spending spree that boosted outlays by $14 billion.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 13 Jan. 2026
Newsom’s declaration touched off a spending spree that boosted outlays by $14 billion.
—Dan Walters, Oc Register, 12 Jan. 2026
The strike had been touched off by employees of PDVSA, the Venezuelan national oil company, who objected to Chavez summarily firing experienced, technocratic PDVSA executives and replacing them with political cronies.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 11 Jan. 2026
The number of homicides in some of California’s biggest cities dropped to remarkably low levels in 2025, a piece of good news that immediately touched off debate about who, or what, was responsible.
—James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
That touched off an argument, during which Sweeney flashed a gun in his hip, according to the complaint.
—Chris Ramirez, jsonline.com, 12 Dec. 2025
The shootings followed a September Free Press investigation that found at least 20% of department shootings in the past decade were touched off by nonviolent stops.
—Violet Ikonomova, Freep.com, 29 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for touched off
Verb
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The Consulate activated its emergency protocols, the ministry stated.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
28 Jan. 2026
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Where to find warming centers around Philadelphia Philadelphia has activated an Enhanced Code Blue due to the extremely cold temperatures.—
Bill Kelly,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The internet and Black art triggered awe for completely different, profound reasons.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
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That violation should have triggered a license revocation, but it was found to have never happened.—
Megan De Mar,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The takeover offer, which would make Sunway the country’s biggest property and construction firm, has also sparked public criticism.—
Ian Sayson,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
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The clip sparked a debate in the comments, with many agreeing that the public school system is currently failing its students.—
Hannah Sacks,
PEOPLE,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The auction gives some breathing space to the market after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s pitch to remove the sales tax on food for two years set off a period of unprecedented volatility.—
Mia Glass,
Bloomberg,
28 Jan. 2026
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In Terminator, an all-powerful, faultless AI becomes sentient, decides that humans are the enemy, and sets off a nuclear apocalypse.—
Bipul Sinha,
Fortune,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Several good ol' boy Texans even drove up to the gate of a military base carrying their hunting rifles demanding to inspect the base for these martial-law troops.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
22 Jan. 2026
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Those same catalysts contributed to the searing inflation that drove the Consumer Price Index to a 40-year high in 2022.—
Aimee Picchi,
CBS News,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Touched off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/touched%20off. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
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