as in activated
to cause to function
his obscene comment touched off a heated debate about the need for censorship on live broadcasts
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of touched off
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
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
-
By that point though, United had activated on signing Senne Lammens.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
-
The gas is activated by the ultraviolet rays of the sun, making the tail glow in much the same way that black light causes phosphorescent paint to light up.—
Joe Rao,
Space.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The fire is assumed to have been triggered by a lightning strike.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Pheu Thai's crisis was triggered back in June by Anutin's withdrawal from its alliance, which left the coalition government clinging to power with a razor-thin majority amid protests and plummeting popularity.—
Panarat Thepgumpanat,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In California’s strawberry fields, an ICE raid sparked widespread panic and disruption among farmworker communities.—
David Rodriguez Muñoz,
Freep.com,
7 Sep. 2025
-
The fire is assumed to have been sparked by lightning.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
One of his owners had gotten home from work and didn’t see him, setting off a search for clues.—
Simone Jasper,
Charlotte Observer,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Pick one of the gateway towns to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, like Gatlinburg, Tennessee, or Bryson City, North Carolina, and set off on your leaf-peeping long weekend.—
Lydia Mansel,
Southern Living,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The company, which also owns the swankier Bloomingdales brand and cosmetics retailer Bluemercury, barely made it out of the pandemic after lockdowns strangled in-store shopping and drove customers ever closer to Amazon and other big-box retailers.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Grant drove the Aggies 72 yards and found Blaise Smith for a 3-yard touchdown pass with 8 seconds remaining to win it.—
Joe Davidson,
Sacbee.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Touched off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/touched%20off. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share