as in to trigger
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 touch off
The invasion touched off demonstrations on campuses across the United States.
—
Kalyan Singhal, Baltimore Sun, 5 May 2025
The stories went viral, touching off tens of thousands of angry comments from users who were equally perplexed and dismayed over the loss of any piece of the city's already meager urban canopy.
—Vanessa Romo, NPR, 30 Apr. 2025
Hoover brushed aside the arguments of his own economists who warned that other nations would respond with their own tariffs, touching off a trade war in which every country would lose.
—Jesse Eisinger, ProPublica, 8 Apr. 2025
But that small decision, to take a drink of water partway through a 90-minute hot yoga session at Bode NYC, touched off a series of events — and one widely seen TikTok video — that resulted in an instructor losing her job.
—Gina Cherelus, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for touch off
Kalyan Singhal, Baltimore Sun, 5 May 2025
The stories went viral, touching off tens of thousands of angry comments from users who were equally perplexed and dismayed over the loss of any piece of the city's already meager urban canopy.
—Vanessa Romo, NPR, 30 Apr. 2025
Hoover brushed aside the arguments of his own economists who warned that other nations would respond with their own tariffs, touching off a trade war in which every country would lose.
—Jesse Eisinger, ProPublica, 8 Apr. 2025
But that small decision, to take a drink of water partway through a 90-minute hot yoga session at Bode NYC, touched off a series of events — and one widely seen TikTok video — that resulted in an instructor losing her job.
—Gina Cherelus, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for touch off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for touch off
Verb
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The decision triggered a federal investigation, which ultimately resulted in no charges.—
Brendan Rascius,
Miami Herald,
30 May 2025
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That passage marked the start of more frequent financial warnings from Dimon, including worries of a recession — which didn’t happen until the 2020 pandemic triggered a two-month contraction — as well as concerns around market meltdowns and the ballooning U.S. deficit.—
Hugh Son,
CNBC,
30 May 2025
Verb
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Take these steps to win bonus bets for basketball, baseball, hockey and other sports this weekend: Follow the links on this page to activate the welcome offer.—
Tyler Everett,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 May 2025
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Breathing in and sighing out slowly for longer than your in breath with an open mouth can activate the vagus nerve, a crucial component of the parasympathetic nervous system.—
Paul McClure
May 24,
New Atlas,
24 May 2025
Verb
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These suggestions could prove to be the best present or at least spark an idea for the right gift for the dads in your life.—
Ramsey Qubein,
Forbes.com,
3 June 2025
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Rising heat, winds, and dry air sparked blazes in the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, according to the country’s Department of Natural Resources.—
Taylor Ardrey,
USA Today,
3 June 2025
Verb
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The franchise has driven over half a billion hours of streams, with the original accounting for more than 280 hours.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
26 May 2025
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Derek Jeter gets his 2,000th career hit, becoming the eighth player in Yankees history to reach the milestone. 2008 — Chase Utley tied the National League lead with his 16th homer and drove in six runs as Philadelphia routed Colorado 20-5.—
Houston Mitchell,
Los Angeles Times,
26 May 2025
Verb
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Soon after 10:45 am local time, Sunny set off to the sky for the first time, kicking off a new era of her life, the organization confirmed on Facebook.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
3 June 2025
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Luffy sets off from his small village on a perilous journey to find the legendary fabled treasure, ONE PIECE, to become King of the Pirates!—
Billie Melissa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 June 2025
Verb
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At 43, this might look like a driver nearing the twilight of his career; the undeniable talent behind the wheel that powered him to two world titles, and within a handful of points of another three, finally starting to wane.—
Luke Smith,
New York Times,
31 May 2025
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Meanwhile, Blue Origin inked a deal with United Launch Alliance to supply a version of its New Glenn main engine to power that company's Vulcan rocket.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
30 May 2025
Verb
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From roaring rockers to thoughtful ballads, Coldplay's range keeps the show moving The show started in daylight after a hot, sunshiny day in Northern California.—
Marco della Cava,
USA Today,
2 June 2025
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The two new fire stations, plus the new fire department headquarters that is set to hold a relocated Fire Station 4, are being moved at the recommendation of a 2021 plan that looked to lower emergency response times.—
R. Christian Smith,
Chicago Tribune,
2 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Touch off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/touch%20off. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
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