touching off

verb

present participle of touch off
as in triggering
to cause to function his obscene comment touched off a heated debate about the need for censorship on live broadcasts

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 touching off The rule was not intended to apply to those from the 2022 class who had exhausted their eligibility, touching off a wave of lawsuits filed by athletes in a variety of sports all over the country. — Dave Skretta, Chicago Tribune, 6 Nov. 2026 With two minutes left in the period, Parayko ran Yurov into the boards from behind, touching off a fight between the Blues’ defenseman and Trenin. — Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 14 Apr. 2026 Then suddenly, one set charged the other, touching off yearslong bloodshed that researchers are comparing to a human civil war. — Evan Bush, NBC news, 9 Apr. 2026 Auriemma’s, UConn’s Hall-of-Fame women’s basketball coach, had an uncharacteristic melt-down during and after his team lost to South Carolina, 62-48, in the semifinals, touching off a shouting match with Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley. — Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 5 Apr. 2026 Last month, the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s editor wrote that a recent job applicant withdrew from consideration for a reporting fellowship after discovering the position included filing notes to an AI writing tool instead of actually writing stories, touching off a heated debate in media circles. — Max Tani, semafor.com, 4 Mar. 2026 Shortly after Goularte got into their pickup truck in Morgan Hill, authorities say, Velasquez shot at him, touching off an 11-mile high-speed car chase through the city that ended near Monterey Road and Bailey Avenue on the southern reaches of San Jose. — Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 15 Feb. 2026 The Facebook post has been viewed more than 140,000 times, touching off hundreds of comments over driver responsibility and technology. — David R. Smith, USA Today, 16 Oct. 2025 Williams said, touching off laughter. — Tom Murphy, Arkansas Online, 12 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for touching off
  1. triggering
  2. activating
  3. sparking
  4. driving
  5. setting off
  6. turning on
  7. moving
Verb
  • In April 2025, former Commissioner Chris Measmer resigned to join the North Carolina Senate, triggering a contentious appointment process that resulted in a lawsuit and a judge blocking the board’s initial choice.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Late Sunday, 15 waterways across northern Arizona and southwestern Colorado either reached or were forecast to reach major flood stage, triggering evacuations and washing out roads.
    — Washington Post, Washington Post, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of triggering
Verb
  • It can be customized via the Settings app for a cornucopia of use cases, including activating Silent Mode, Focus, Flashlight, Magnifier, Translate, and even third-party apps like the music ID tool Shazam.
    — Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Gamma is also a frequency that is ideally suited for activating inhibitory neurons, which scientists believe are dysfunctional in Alzheimer’s and play a major role in balancing the amount of activity in neural circuits.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of activating
Verb
  • Growing concern over microplastics and sustainability is sparking a wave of plastic-free coffee pods and machines.
    — Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 2 Nov. 2026
  • The pirate crew is said to have tortured, killed and raped those aboard the royal ship, sparking global outrage and what is considered the first worldwide manhunt.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of sparking
Verb
  • The tokens burned spitting out anti-Waymo opinions are part of a monthslong battle between Waymo and its rivals over whether the autonomous driving company can operate commercially on the streets of several major cities.
    — Max Tani, semafor.com, 9 Nov. 2026
  • There was even a Panthers defensive stand in which the Broncos only burned 59 seconds and the Panthers had the ball, driving, with two minutes left in the game — only five points down.
    — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 9 Nov. 2026
Definition of driving
Verb
  • The goal is to stay active without repeatedly setting off the pain.
    — Angela Haupt, Time, 10 Nov. 2026
  • The verdict came just three days after regulators seized Ueno Bank, cutting nearly 3 million customers off from their savings and bank cards and setting off a political crisis.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of setting off
Verb
  • And some players are turning on the season as seen by them letting the Jaguars tear through weak tackle attempts to the tune of 183 rushing yards and three passing TDs by Trevor Lawrence.
    — Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 2 Nov. 2026
  • But Salazar, who, amazingly, is also a Cuban American former news anchor, is now reckoning with her district increasingly turning on the President amid economic pressure and an immigration crackdown that is extremely unpopular among Latinos.
    — Daniel Castro, New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of turning on
Verb
  • This reduces computational requirements, allowing the system to operate on a moving robot with limited processing resources.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Over the last few decades, the percentage of children diagnosed with myopia has moved steadily upward, while age at diagnosis appears to be moving down.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of moving

Browse Nearby Words

touching down
touching off
touching (on)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Touching off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/touching%20off. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026.

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