as in activated
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 touched off
The corruption allegations touched off widespread outrage, sparking protests in recent months.
—
Chris Massaro, FOXNews.com, 13 Feb. 2026
The cigar then touched off cotton goods stored in the warehouse.
—Jacques Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 7 Feb. 2026
The sprint to build these sprawling facilities, which hold racks of humming servers powered by expensive processors, has touched off an unprecedented level of borrowing, pinched energy supplies and brought developers into conflict with communities worried about rising power and water costs.
—Bloomberg Wire, Dallas Morning News, 6 Feb. 2026
Meanwhile, history shows that major Bitcoin crashes have typically been touched off by multiple factors, not a single event.
—Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 6 Feb. 2026
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, Mercury News, 13 Jan. 2026
Chris Massaro, FOXNews.com, 13 Feb. 2026
The cigar then touched off cotton goods stored in the warehouse.
—Jacques Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 7 Feb. 2026
The sprint to build these sprawling facilities, which hold racks of humming servers powered by expensive processors, has touched off an unprecedented level of borrowing, pinched energy supplies and brought developers into conflict with communities worried about rising power and water costs.
—Bloomberg Wire, Dallas Morning News, 6 Feb. 2026
Meanwhile, history shows that major Bitcoin crashes have typically been touched off by multiple factors, not a single event.
—Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 6 Feb. 2026
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, Mercury News, 13 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for touched off
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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Squirrel-proof bird feeders have openings that squirrels cannot reach into and, in some cases, they're activated by a bird landing on them.—
Heather Bien,
The Spruce,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Clearly, the historic performance — one that attempted to illuminate and celebrate the Latin community, people and their past — left her feeling triggered.—
Alexandra Del Rosario,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
-
While authorities said 11 of the 12 victims were killed in avalanches triggered by exceptionally unstable conditions on ungroomed backcountry slopes, The Associated Press reported a total of 13 deaths.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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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
-
Chopra Jonas sparked twice as much buzz as her titular co-stars based on volume, headlines and quoting intensity.—
Tatiana Siegel,
Variety,
11 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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Employment in health care again drove payroll gains in January, adding 82,000 jobs.—
Rachel Barber,
USA Today,
12 Feb. 2026
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His latest model, the Nike Ja 3, has drawn significant praise for a more radical design than its two predecessors and drove him to becoming StockX‘s second bestselling signature athlete.—
Ian Servantes,
Footwear News,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Touched off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/touched%20off. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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