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
In the ensuing Panthers’ power play, the Canadian squad turned its attention to Matthew Tkachuk as a pair of Oilers ganged up on the winger behind the Edmonton net, touching off another round of pushing and shoving.
—
Kevin Dotson, CNN Money, 10 June 2025
The fighting there was touched off by Russia's annexation of Crimea and subsequent fomentation of a separatist revolt against Kyiv in the Donbas region.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 15 May 2025
Accepting a lavish gift from the Persian Gulf nation makes even some stolid Trump allies queasy because of Qatar’s record of abuses against its Shiite Muslim minority and its funding of Hamas, the militant group whose attack on Israel touched off a prolonged war in the region.
—Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2025
The famous ride and an ensuing battle at Lexington and Concord touched off the American Revolution.
—Ari Daniel, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for touch off
Kevin Dotson, CNN Money, 10 June 2025
The fighting there was touched off by Russia's annexation of Crimea and subsequent fomentation of a separatist revolt against Kyiv in the Donbas region.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 15 May 2025
Accepting a lavish gift from the Persian Gulf nation makes even some stolid Trump allies queasy because of Qatar’s record of abuses against its Shiite Muslim minority and its funding of Hamas, the militant group whose attack on Israel touched off a prolonged war in the region.
—Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2025
The famous ride and an ensuing battle at Lexington and Concord touched off the American Revolution.
—Ari Daniel, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for touch off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for touch off
Verb
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Originally, Smith’s bonus would have been triggered if fiscal year 2030 revenue exceeded FY25 revenue by 50%.—
Daniel Libit,
Sportico.com,
15 July 2025
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Regional emergency declarations are part of a broader trend across the U.S. this summer, as extreme weather has triggered catastrophic flooding in states including Texas and New Mexico.—
Anna Commander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 July 2025
Verb
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The Network then will activate its many participants to collaborate and engage together to advance solutions and designs of new processes, or mechanisms, or even technologies that are needed to not only benefit each individual employer organization but also the overall talent ecosystem.—
Ryan Stowers,
Forbes.com,
11 July 2025
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The couple successfully activate the code and crawl through a tunnel to freedom, only to discover that the entire city has been sealed inside the same black brick structures.—
Samantha Stutsman,
People.com,
11 July 2025
Verb
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The wildfire is believed to be sparked by human activity, but the precise event responsible for it has yet to be identified.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
9 July 2025
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The program currently supports 60,000 students in 57 counties, offering a great example of state leadership sparking local impact.—
Matt Gandal,
Forbes.com,
9 July 2025
Verb
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One chair represents the relentless pressure to deliver through hitting growth targets, driving innovation, and meeting stakeholder expectations.—
Julian Hayes II,
Forbes.com,
13 July 2025
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Have a great day, drive safely, and enjoy the ride, as the future looks nice and bright – Tony the Car Guy.—
Tony Leopardo,
Mercury News,
13 July 2025
Verb
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That month was when scientists reported that the earth’s temperature had suddenly begun not just to climb but to spike—the days around the solstice were the hottest ever measured, setting off a run of record-smashing heat that continues to this day.—
Bill McKibben,
New Yorker,
9 July 2025
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With personal tutor Bjorn (Michael Cera) in tow, the trio set off on a globetrotting adventure to achieve Korda's epic mission.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
7 July 2025
Verb
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Every few years, the video game industry invents what many people expect to become the future of play—VR headsets, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and currently, non-player characters (NPCs) powered by large language models (LLMs).—
Ben Kim,
Forbes.com,
16 July 2025
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Warehouse demand has struggled to fill excess space built up since those lows, which were powered by a red-hot market characterized by record e-commerce growth that had everyone in retail looking for more storage space.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
15 July 2025
Verb
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Neither of these steps will be easy: Hezbollah is under pressure from Lebanese officials and continues to suffer Israeli bombardment, and the new Syrian government, which is consolidating control over its territory, is hostile to Iran and has begun moving closer to Israel.—
MOHAMMAD AYATOLLAHI TABAAR,
Foreign Affairs,
8 July 2025
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As the storm moves away, this likelihood decreases.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
8 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Touch off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/touch%20off. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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