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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of touch off
Both threats touched off fury in Europe, where governments had spent most of the past year making concessions to Trump on both military spending and tariffs.
—
Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026
Akbarin is a supporter of Mir Hossein Mousavi, the former prime minister of the Islamic Republic whose reformist candidacy for the presidency touched off the 2009 Green Movement.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 20 Jan. 2026
The fatal encounter has touched off protests in Minneapolis and calls for accountability for immigration officers, whose tactics have resulted in at least 10 other shootings since September.
—Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 18 Jan. 2026
Newsom’s declaration touched off a spending spree that boosted outlays by $14 billion.
—Dan Walters, Oc Register, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for touch off
Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026
Akbarin is a supporter of Mir Hossein Mousavi, the former prime minister of the Islamic Republic whose reformist candidacy for the presidency touched off the 2009 Green Movement.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 20 Jan. 2026
The fatal encounter has touched off protests in Minneapolis and calls for accountability for immigration officers, whose tactics have resulted in at least 10 other shootings since September.
—Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 18 Jan. 2026
Newsom’s declaration touched off a spending spree that boosted outlays by $14 billion.
—Dan Walters, Oc Register, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for touch off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for touch off
Verb
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Held for weeks with no contact The protests began in late December, triggered by anger over spiraling prices, and quickly spread across the country.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
14 Feb. 2026
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The protests began in late December, triggered by anger over spiraling prices, and quickly spread across the country.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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She was accused on Monday of having accidentally activated a website for a future campaign to lead the Labour Party.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
10 Feb. 2026
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The consultancy has a role in advising, managing, activating and measuring more than $5 billion in client partnerships across sports, entertainment, gaming and corporate social responsibility.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Continue reading … 'VILE' — Dem Rep's 'total meltdown' in heated hearing with ICE director sparks viral outrage.—
,
FOXNews.com,
11 Feb. 2026
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The war has sparked worldwide protests and brought accusations of genocide that Israel denies.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Immigration enforcement efforts in Oklahoma also have focused heavily on apprehending commercial truckers driving on interstate highways.—
Nuria Martinez-Keel,
Oklahoma Voice,
10 Feb. 2026
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Duren had the ball and was driving toward the basket with just over seven minutes left in the third period when he was fouled by Diabate.—
Steve Reed,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Guthrie’s disappearance set off a desperate search involving state and federal law enforcement agencies.—
Tom Winter,
NBC news,
10 Feb. 2026
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That set off an 18-4 run that was capped by another 3 by Avdija to make it 82-69.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The pack includes a controller, navigation hardware, and solar panels to power the system.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Feb. 2026
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From the digital creations that power our modern world to the bridges that span these waters, the Bay Area has always been the American cradle of invention.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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As a politicized national fight over waste, fraud and abuse led by Republicans have targeted California and its Democratic leadership, Bonta and other state officials have moved swiftly to combat the claims.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
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Moreover, the bottle had only ever moved between Burgundy and Bordeaux, a driving distance of roughly 300 miles.—
Pin Yen Tan 9 min ago,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Touch off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/touch%20off. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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