as in triggering
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 touching off
With two minutes left in the period, Parayko ran Yurov into the boards from behind, touching off a fight between the Blues’ defenseman and Trenin.
—
Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 14 Apr. 2026
Then suddenly, one set charged the other, touching off yearslong bloodshed that researchers are comparing to a human civil war.
—Evan Bush, NBC news, 9 Apr. 2026
Auriemma’s, UConn’s Hall-of-Fame women’s basketball coach, had an uncharacteristic melt-down during and after his team lost to South Carolina, 62-48, in the semifinals, touching off a shouting match with Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 5 Apr. 2026
Last month, the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s editor wrote that a recent job applicant withdrew from consideration for a reporting fellowship after discovering the position included filing notes to an AI writing tool instead of actually writing stories, touching off a heated debate in media circles.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 4 Mar. 2026
Shortly after Goularte got into their pickup truck in Morgan Hill, authorities say, Velasquez shot at him, touching off an 11-mile high-speed car chase through the city that ended near Monterey Road and Bailey Avenue on the southern reaches of San Jose.
—Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 15 Feb. 2026
The Facebook post has been viewed more than 140,000 times, touching off hundreds of comments over driver responsibility and technology.
—David R. Smith, USA Today, 16 Oct. 2025
Williams said, touching off laughter.
—Tom Murphy, Arkansas Online, 12 Sep. 2025
Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 14 Apr. 2026
Then suddenly, one set charged the other, touching off yearslong bloodshed that researchers are comparing to a human civil war.
—Evan Bush, NBC news, 9 Apr. 2026
Auriemma’s, UConn’s Hall-of-Fame women’s basketball coach, had an uncharacteristic melt-down during and after his team lost to South Carolina, 62-48, in the semifinals, touching off a shouting match with Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 5 Apr. 2026
Last month, the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s editor wrote that a recent job applicant withdrew from consideration for a reporting fellowship after discovering the position included filing notes to an AI writing tool instead of actually writing stories, touching off a heated debate in media circles.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 4 Mar. 2026
Shortly after Goularte got into their pickup truck in Morgan Hill, authorities say, Velasquez shot at him, touching off an 11-mile high-speed car chase through the city that ended near Monterey Road and Bailey Avenue on the southern reaches of San Jose.
—Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 15 Feb. 2026
The Facebook post has been viewed more than 140,000 times, touching off hundreds of comments over driver responsibility and technology.
—David R. Smith, USA Today, 16 Oct. 2025
Williams said, touching off laughter.
—Tom Murphy, Arkansas Online, 12 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for touching off
Verb
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However, in April 2025, the government broke the news that a license would be required for exports of Nvidia's H20 products in the China market, triggering an automatic adjustment to the goals.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
13 May 2026
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Now the Iran war has heaped fresh pressure on those businesses, choking critical shipping lanes, triggering a historic energy shock, and threatening to crimp global demand for Chinese goods across the board.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
13 May 2026
Verb
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Coach Natalie Nakase said this week that activating the Australian point guard will be a game-time decision.—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
8 May 2026
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The princess has done an amazing job at activating people's minds about the value and importance of this.—
Simon Perry,
PEOPLE,
6 May 2026
Verb
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And the company has made numerous acquisitions (such as Alphasimplex, AGI and Stone Harbor) in hopes of sparking longer-term growth.—
Brett Owens,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
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Polish officials said migrants have used Molotov cocktails in at least two incidents, sparking fires near the border.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
17 May 2026
Verb
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The critical shipping passage has been a key point of the war, driving up gas prices.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
17 May 2026
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Schauffele ranks in the tournament’s top five in both putting and driving, and has hit 28 of 42 fairways this week.—
Brendan Quinn,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
Verb
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Even minor sparks or drifting embers can incite nearby foliage or grass, setting off a rapidly spreading fire.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
15 May 2026
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But Madison rallied in the bottom half, scoring two runs and setting off a wild Senior Day celebration with a 2-1 win that clinched the Eastern League championship.—
John Maffei,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 May 2026
Verb
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Taylor caught a ball on a slant route and showed his burst of speed, turning on the afterburners to race to the end zone.—
Chris Hays,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 May 2026
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Kirkwood Southern Style Crispy Fried Chicken Perhaps you, like me, avoid turning on the oven at all costs as soon as the temperature outside hits 85 degrees.—
Abigail Wilt,
Southern Living,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In other words, this is basically a demonic-possession story, albeit one without any actual demons; at one point, Nikki briefly starts moving backward for no reason.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
15 May 2026
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Meanwhile Varda is planning for more partnerships and a faster launch cadence, eventually moving from a launch per quarter to every other month.—
Ramin Skibba,
Scientific American,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Touching off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/touching%20off. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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