How to Use set off in a Sentence

set off

verb
Definition of set offnext
Synonyms for set offnext
  • The plan has set off a firestorm of debate and protests.
    — Anthony Trotter, ABC News, 25 Sep. 2022
  • The danger, Bivens said, is that the Fed has set off a runaway train.
    — Irina Ivanova, CBS News, 30 Sep. 2022
  • The success of these drugs has set off a boom in research.
    — Emma Court, Fortune Well, 31 Jan. 2024
  • And all of this is setting off alarm bells among some tourism groups.
    — Gustavo Valdes, CNN, 5 Dec. 2024
  • The boat's crew swabbed the deck clean and set off only slightly delayed for the 3 p.m. tour.
    — Angela Rozas and Brett McNeil, Chicago Tribune, 8 Aug. 2022
  • The trio sets off on a mission for Aang to learn all four elements and help save the world.
    — Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2024
  • The video set off a sales frenzy, one that Leahy doesn’t see slowing down.
    — James Manso, WWD, 25 Sep. 2024
  • For most people, cold hands shouldn’t set off alarm bells.
    — Caroline C. Boyle, USA TODAY, 17 Aug. 2024
  • The first trip of the day, which hauled 40 paying passengers, set off at 12 miles an hour.
    — Baltimore Sun, 10 Sep. 2022
  • But the officials missed the deadline, setting off the rest of the delays.
    — Jaden Edison, Hartford Courant, 13 Jan. 2024
  • His memoir, The Thrill of the Chase, set off a nationwide treasure hunt.
    — Popular Mechanics, 10 Mar. 2023
  • That set off years of back-and-forth between TikTok and the U.S. government.
    — Andrea Chang, Los Angeles Times, 7 Jan. 2025
  • Taylor was 26, and her death set off protests that lasted for months in Louisville and other cities.
    — Andrew Wolfson, The Courier-Journal, 23 Aug. 2022
  • Once again, Talking Heads are setting off dance parties around the world.
    — Rob Tannenbaum, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2023
  • Ralph DeFalco of Annapolis brought his young children to the ocean at 2:45 a.m. to watch the boats set off.
    — Hayes Gardner, Baltimore Sun, 11 Aug. 2023
  • To set off the look, the actress carried a hot pink handbag and sparkly retro cell phone.
    — Genevieve Cepeda, Peoplemag, 28 Nov. 2023
  • On Wall Street, that set off speculation that a merger might be in the works.
    — Aaron Pressman, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Jan. 2023
  • This fact, more than anything else about the study, set off my BS detector.
    — Marina Bolotnikova, Vox, 19 Dec. 2024
  • Deng was still in charge when the next prominent death set off a series of events that resonate to this day.
    — Isabel Hilton, The Atlantic, 1 Dec. 2022
  • The Way of Water may deepen these themes, or set off in a new direction.
    — Darren Franich, EW.com, 16 Sep. 2022
  • Duplantis rose, rose, let go—and cleared the bar, falling to the mat and setting off a cathartic roar.
    — Sean Gregory / Saint-Denis, TIME, 6 Aug. 2024
  • Forgot when Amelia Earhart set off on her fateful flight?
    — Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 18 Jan. 2023
  • The royal set off around 7 a.m. local time, awake for the early workout likely thanks in part to the jet lag as the U.K. is five hours ahead.
    — Simon Perry, Peoplemag, 19 Sep. 2023
  • Musk’s stance has led right-wingers to rally around the prospect of his ownership of Twitter — and has set off alarms from those on the left.
    — Todd Spangler, Variety, 4 Oct. 2022
  • His luscious food calls for a party and the restaurant obliges with a private room, set off with a red rug on the wall, that can seat up to 50.
    — Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 27 Nov. 2023
  • Prices surged in the days leading to July 4 as travelers set off on trips.
    — Miami Herald Archives Update, Miami Herald, 8 July 2024
  • Last August, the news of a dying man left at a gas station set off alarm bells for Hammer and his team.
    — ABC News, 15 Dec. 2022
  • Officials may have set off claims for a First Amendment case.
    — Prem Thakker, The New Republic, 12 July 2023
  • Char’s comments set off a firestorm of reactions on social media.
    — Felipe Cardenas, The Athletic, 15 Jan. 2025
  • At a brilliant Prada show, the models seemed to barely have time to grab faux fur wraps and coats to throw over their pajamas before setting off for parts unknown.
    — Luisa Zargani, WWD, 21 Jan. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'set off.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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