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
-
Nitrogen triggers new growth that will be killed when freezing temperatures hit.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
31 Oct. 2025 -
Trading below $1 over a consecutive 30 trading-day period triggers a warning.—
Annie Palmer,
CNBC,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The fat overload in astrocytes and microglia activates inflammatory pathways.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
26 Oct. 2025
-
In Ibadan, the biennial activates the New Culture Studio designed by Demas Nwoko (1970), exploring urban and architectural dimensions of confinement.—
PhotoVogue,
Vogue,
25 Oct. 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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Surprisingly given her background, Sennott doesn’t cast herself as the online ingénue whose ascendant career drives the story.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
30 Oct. 2025
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Nasser drives a Tesla, which began rolling out its Grok AI conversational assistant feature in July 2025.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
30 Oct. 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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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
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Instead, Swift sets off in search of a knockout.—
Rolling Stone,
Rolling Stone,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Fans will just have to be patient to see if anything moves forward.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Oct. 2025
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If his execution moves forward, Jennings will be the 16th inmate executed in Florida this year, double the state's previous record.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
28 Oct. 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 2 Nov. 2025.
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