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
That touched off an argument, during which Sweeney flashed a gun in his hip, according to the complaint.
—
Chris Ramirez, jsonline.com, 17 Oct. 2025
Investigators said the gunfire stemmed from a dispute that touched off after the two groups left the basketball game.
—Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 17 Oct. 2025
The hit touched off a fight, and ended with Minnesota on a power play, which would produce their first goal of the night.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 15 Oct. 2025
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
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
Chris Ramirez, jsonline.com, 17 Oct. 2025
Investigators said the gunfire stemmed from a dispute that touched off after the two groups left the basketball game.
—Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 17 Oct. 2025
The hit touched off a fight, and ended with Minnesota on a power play, which would produce their first goal of the night.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 15 Oct. 2025
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for touched off
Verb
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The ship immediately activated its emergency response and began a search in coordination with the Italian Coast Guard.—
Stephen Sorace,
FOXNews.com,
27 Oct. 2025
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In response, the Jamaica Red Cross has activated emergency resources across eight parishes, supported by CHF 80,000 from the IFRC Disaster Response Emergency Fund.—
Hannah Parry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Patterson returns to Charlotte following a monthslong controversy over the circumstances of Jennings’ split with the city, including a secretive six-figure settlement that triggered an investigation by the State Auditor’s Office.—
Ryan Oehrli,
Charlotte Observer,
31 Oct. 2025
-
The shutdown was triggered at the start of October when Senate Democrats blocked the passage of the CR passed by the House.—
Emily Hallas,
The Washington Examiner,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Perry and Trudeau first sparked romance rumors over the summer, when they were spotted on a date in Montreal, Canada.—
Nicholas Rice,
PEOPLE,
26 Oct. 2025
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The operation has sparked growing scrutiny over federal tactics.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The hairstylist who accidentally set off the sprinklers called Fishers Fire Department.—
Ashlyn Robinette,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
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Russia’s last nuclear test was in 1990 and the US last set off a nuclear device in 1992.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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However, Paul drove to a bar and took shots with Connor, according to surveillance video from the bar obtained by Greenville News.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
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The Martinezes drove up from Miami to welcome their new baby to the family.—
Howard Cohen,
Miami Herald,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Touched off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/touched%20off. Accessed 1 Nov. 2025.
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