as in triggers
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 touches off
The Bengals then lined up for a desperation onside kick and, thanks to the slightest of touches off a Bears player’s foot, managed to recover the ball to get possession back.
—
Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2025
Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for touches off
Verb
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In the brain, the virus leads to an immune response that triggers inflammation, can damage brain cells, and can even shrink brain volume, according to research on imaging studies that was published in March 2022 in the journal Nature.—
Stephanie Armour,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
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Turns out the combination of hot liquid, salt and easily digestible carbohydrates triggers multiple comfort responses in our bodies.—
Cheryl Russell,
Oc Register,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
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March is always madness, but this month intensifies matters as Mars activates your relationship zone (between March 2 and April 9), bringing complexities, buried desires and unspoken resentments to the surface.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
28 Jan. 2026
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Neuroscience has long shown that watching another person experience pain activates the same neural regions as experiencing pain ourselves.—
Dev Patnaik,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Regular communication to senior leadership sets expectations and builds the case for continued investment; communication across the company generates future initiatives, builds grassroots support and sparks a healthy degree of FOMO.—
Jennifer Belissent,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
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Everything from adults-only zones on planes to child-free weddings sparks controversy online.—
Irenie Forshaw,
TheWeek,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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So, say some small-time businessmen hire a truck through a dispatcher, the truck drives up to a field, and there, along the perimeter, a forklift crane pulls the pipe up from the sand.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Jan. 2026
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James said winning, not headlines, stories or podcasts, is what drives him, now in his unprecedented 23rd NBA season.—
Janis Carr,
Oc Register,
23 Jan. 2026
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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Convinced that these images faithfully represent America, a group of villagers sets off for the New World.—
Tope Folarin,
The Atlantic,
8 Nov. 2025
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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
Verb
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One slightly wrong rate in a budget, procurement forecast, or loan estimate easily moves millions of dollars in the wrong direction.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Jan. 2026
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The Honda moves forward, turning to the right.—
Devon Lum,
Twin Cities,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Touches off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/touches%20off. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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