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
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
The American women’s and men’s Olympic gold medals touched off a national celebration, but controversy quickly followed.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 26 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
Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 28 Feb. 2026
The American women’s and men’s Olympic gold medals touched off a national celebration, but controversy quickly followed.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 26 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
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Fifield’s squad car was positioned on the right shoulder/emergency lane of eastbound I-80 with its emergency lights activated.—
Post-Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Getting Ayton activated has been a positive for the Lakers.—
Broderick Turner,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Those scenarios could either be triggered by new snow falling on existing snow; a cornice, or mass of hanging snow, falling; or a human trigger.—
Caelyn Pender,
Mercury News,
25 Feb. 2026
-
In the early morning of July 4, 2025, flooding triggered by unrelenting rain that overwhelmed the Guadalupe River swept away dozens of girls at the historic camp.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Those sparked an 11-0 Denver run to close the quarter, during which Boston missed two layups and was outpaced in transition.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
26 Feb. 2026
-
But residents say the issue’s persistence has hurt businesses and sparked anxiety.—
Briah Lumpkins,
Charlotte Observer,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The operation set off a wave of civil unrest, with vehicles being torched and gunmen, believed to be supported of Oseguera, blocking highways in a more than a dozen states.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
24 Feb. 2026
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Stress, excitement or tiredness can set off an unwanted, uncontrollable volley of sudden jerky movements and/or a spew of four-letter and other words.—
Baz Bamigboye,
Deadline,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Prosecutors said Maurer, of Coalinga in Fresno County, deliberately drove his pickup truck into the children and adults.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
26 Feb. 2026
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Police are investigating a dramatic crash Tuesday where an SUV drove onto the sidewalk and barrelled into a vendor in downtown Los Angeles’ flower district, injuring six people.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Touched off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/touched%20off. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
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