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
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
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
-
There was no official announcement from Washington that the California National Guard was being called up and sent to Oregon, just as was the case when Illinois’ governor made a similar announcement Saturday about troops in his state being activated.—
Danny Bakst,
Fortune,
5 Oct. 2025
-
The unique theatrical experiment fully activated the global Swiftie contingent, raking in $33 million domestically and another $13 million from international markets, resulting in a $46 million global haul, per Comscore.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
That termination triggered lengthy litigation that continues and has pingponged through the American judicial system.—
Syra Ortiz Blanes,
Miami Herald,
4 Oct. 2025
-
Market reaction to the QFI consultation was muted, in contrast to the buying spree triggered by potential lifting of foreign ownership limits.—
Matthew Martin,
semafor.com,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The show gave local independent musicians exposure on its soundtrack, increased the popularity of venues like The Bluebird Cafe, inspired cast tours and years later, sparked reunion tours.—
Audrey Gibbs,
Nashville Tennessean,
5 Oct. 2025
-
TikToker and books commentator Kenzie Deerin, who was introduced to the series in middle school, says the vampiric tale sparked her love for the fantasy romance genre.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The Florida Marlins beat the New York Mets, setting off a celebration in Milwaukee and a Reds’ flight plan for the West Coast.—
C. Trent Rosecrans,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
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The two have long been at odds, going back to the early days of Cardi B’s career, though what appears to have set off this current flare-up were early reports that Cardi’s latest album, which debuted at the top of the charts this week, was the best-performing album from a female rap act in history.—
Jeff Ihaza,
Rolling Stone,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Megadeals valued at $10 billion or more drove the surge, with 49 such transactions announced thus far this year, the highest on record for nine months, according to the firm's data.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
8 Oct. 2025
-
Schneider and Sida got in a car early Monday and drove to get Francine.—
John Raby,
Fortune,
8 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Touched off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/touched%20off. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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