as in triggers
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for touches off
Verb
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Key Takeaways Short-term, alcohol slows brain processing, triggers the reward system, reduces stress and pain, impairs spatial thinking, and can cause memory lapses or blackouts.—
Sarah Bence,
Verywell Health,
6 Nov. 2025 -
Late changes after proto review or post–assortment lock (because of a market signal or someone just changed their mind) triggers rework.—
Raj Dhiman,
Sourcing Journal,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Research shows eye contact is key to satisfying social interactions and activates social parts of the brain.—
Matt Fuchs,
Time,
4 Nov. 2025
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Many remotes include a push-to-talk button that activates voice control only when pressed.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Content creators now use it for just about anything and its appearance often sparks raucous reactions, like in September when a crowd erupted in cheers after an In-N-Out employee called out order number 67.—
Diana Leyva,
Nashville Tennessean,
24 Oct. 2025
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That small question sparks an incredible journey filled with mystery, time travel, battles, and ancient beings known as Watchers.—
Maria Williams,
USA Today,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Can Green Bay finish drives with touchdowns without Kraft, who has hauled in six of Love's 13 TD passes this year?—
Tyler Everett,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
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If search reliability drives a beat, update evergreen explainers and refine the internal links that help readers stay oriented.—
Malana VanTyler,
Ascend Agency,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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How Wisconsin's solar battery park powers 130,000 homes The Paris Solar farm began producing power in December 2024 and generates 200 megawatts of renewable electricity during the day.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
23 Sep. 2025
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This process, which powers the sun and stars, offers the potential for a virtually limitless power source.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The comedy horror film revolves around Brian (Tyler Perry) forbidding his daughter Tiffany (Diamond White) from attending a frat party, which sets off a string of Halloween pranks.—
Ariana Quihuiz,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
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In the Disney+ series of the same name, rebellious princess Kit (Bottoms’ Ruby Cruz) sets off on a dangerous quest to rescue her twin brother from dastardly forces of evil.—
Abby Monteil,
Them.,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The four-meter-wide telescope can detect faint shifts in light that reveal how plasma moves through the corona, allowing scientists to see the sun in unprecedented detail.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
4 Nov. 2025
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As such, this is a program that will be very interesting to see develop over the coming years and one that the Russian Navy's key adversaries will be watching very closely, as this weapon moves toward operational capability.—
Ryan Chan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Touches off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/touches%20off. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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