as in triggering
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 touching off
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
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
Verb
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More complicated commercial cases were on hold and took longer, triggering at least some delay.—
A.D. Quig,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
-
That kind of stuff is still kind of triggering.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Caroline Lewis, who is activating students to advocate for policy change, and the Miami Herald’s own chief climate reporter and editor, Alex Harris.—
Ashley Miznazi,
Miami Herald,
16 Apr. 2026
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Kept alive numerous times by the activating Jonathan Aspirot and Jordan Harris, the puck eventually came around to Kastelic low on the left side and Kastelic got his 10th of the year by beating Greaves on a bad-angle short-side shot.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Since then, prices for many games have been raised further, sparking widespread outrage.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
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The country’s new spiritual leader and highest authority – Mojtaba Khamenei – has not been seen in public since his inauguration last month, sparking questions over who is leading the decision-making in Iran.—
Mitchell McCluskey,
CNN Money,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Meanwhile, government data shows that car insurance prices have soared 55% compared with six years ago, or just before the pandemic, driving up the number of Americans going without.—
Alexa St. John,
Fortune,
11 Apr. 2026
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Smith went 2 for 2 with a walk and double at the plate, driving in 2 runs and scoring a run, all out of the 9 hole in the lineup for Southwest Christian (24-4 overall, 6-1 district).—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Labcorp pilot agreed, but the plane then moved a bit past the hold short bars, setting off alarm systems in the air traffic control tower.—
Sarah Ploss,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
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Hacegaba noted that the rerouting of ships to avoid the conflict zone is setting off a chain reaction resulting in longer routes, further amplifying the cost increases.—
Glenn Taylor,
Footwear News,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Another ship, the Ladonna, had been at Bandar Imam Khomeini for a week before turning on its transponder Tuesday and journeying into the Persian Gulf.—
Brian Dakss,
CBS News,
14 Apr. 2026
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Chavez and his aides repeatedly claimed that their critics are Communist or grower sympathizers who infiltrated the UFW before turning on it.—
Marcos Breton,
Sacbee.com,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The tactics are commonly associated with South American theft groups known for operating across state lines and moving quickly from one community to another.—
Abby Dodge,
CBS News,
18 Apr. 2026
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By the end, the movie takes on the hallucinatory feel of an existential horror film, less about where anyone is going than what keeps them moving at all.—
Yvonne Villarreal,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Touching off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/touching%20off. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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