touched off

verb

past tense of touch off
as in activated
to cause to function his obscene comment touched off a heated debate about the need for censorship on live broadcasts

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of touched off That touched off speculation that perhaps a bachelorette party or some kind of pre-wedding celebration was afoot. — Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 20 June 2026 The order prompted the company to disable all global access to the two advanced systems and touched off intensive talks toward a resolution. — Josh Wingrove, Fortune, 27 June 2026 The plans have touched off stiff opposition from neighbors worried about soil erosion, already a problem in an area of steeply sloping topography, and potential well contamination. — Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 21 June 2026 The race has touched off negative campaign advertisements between Feenstra and leading opponent and businessman Zach Lahn. — Cooper Worth, Des Moines Register, 2 June 2026 In 1971, Nixon replaced Martin with a distinguished economist, Arthur Burns, whose policies touched off the great inflation. — Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 31 May 2026 The decision touched off a heated political confrontation, with calls from the opposition for Sanchez's Socialist government to resign. — ABC News, 20 June 2026 McBride, the Commodores, Morris Day & the Time and Young MC have all either withdrawn or publicly denied participation after the lineup reveal touched off immediate backlash. — Spin Staff, SPIN, 29 May 2026 The boom in the market was touched off by the overnight success of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which showed that chatbots could answer users’ questions in conversational fashion, threatening to make Google’s list of links to websites obsolete. — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 20 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for touched off
  1. activated
  2. triggered
  3. sparked
  4. set off
  5. drove
Verb
  • If activated, battery life will be drastically reduced to only a couple of days because the dog's location will refresh every 10 to 15 seconds.
    — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 8 July 2026
  • According to the authority, Pakistan’s military and civilian agencies activated the Rescue Coordination Center and launched search-and-rescue operations at sea shortly after the aircraft went missing.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 July 2026
Definition of activated
Verb
  • Cataplexy is common in people with Type 1 narcolepsy and can be triggered by strong emotions such as laughter, excitement, surprise or anger.
    — Daryl Austin, USA Today, 8 July 2026
  • Landslides triggered by heavy monsoon rains in southeastern Bangladesh killed several Rohingya refugees, including five children.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 July 2026
Definition of triggered
Verb
  • Officials in New Jersey sparked mixed reactions after voting to pave the way for the redevelopment of a former iconic amusement park.
    — Teresa Mull, FOXNews.com, 5 July 2026
  • The feat sparked scenes of jubilation in Doha, which our colleague Matias Grez was lucky enough to experience.
    — Ben Church, CNN Money, 4 July 2026
Definition of sparked
Verb
  • In Canton, Ohio, a 46-year-old woman was shot in the back while asleep in bed after a man and others reportedly fired weapons into the air and set off fireworks to celebrate the holiday late Friday night.
    — Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 5 July 2026
  • Kevin Pina’s rocket set off an eruption of joy, only for Cape Verde to trail at half-time mostly because of Maximiliano Araujo, the only Uruguay attacker showing any semblance of form.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 5 July 2026
Definition of set off
Verb
  • Jackson Merrill blasted a ball to left-center field leading off, and, two outs later, Jake Cronenworth drove in two runs with a shot to right-center.
    — Liana Handler Follow, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026
  • Sure, the proliferation of plastic with lounge benefits drove more visitors to the airport lounges.
    — Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 2 July 2026
Definition of drove

Browse Nearby Words

touched down
touched off
touched (on)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Touched off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/touched%20off. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

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