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
Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin now has the most goals in NHL history, a hallowed record that touched off reactions from around hockey and the broader sports world on Sunday.
—
John W. Dean, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Apr. 2025
American trading partners reacted to Trump's tariffs announcement with condemnation and concern, warning that the measures could touch off a far-reaching and costly trade war.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 3 Apr. 2025
In September 1939, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union jointly invaded Poland, touching off the Second World War in Europe.
—Arthur I. Cyr, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2025
Anger at the Kushner development has fused with anti-government protests, which touched off last November after the collapse of the roof at a train station in Novi Sad, Serbia's second largest city.
—Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA TODAY, 25 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for touch off
John W. Dean, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Apr. 2025
American trading partners reacted to Trump's tariffs announcement with condemnation and concern, warning that the measures could touch off a far-reaching and costly trade war.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 3 Apr. 2025
In September 1939, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union jointly invaded Poland, touching off the Second World War in Europe.
—Arthur I. Cyr, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2025
Anger at the Kushner development has fused with anti-government protests, which touched off last November after the collapse of the roof at a train station in Novi Sad, Serbia's second largest city.
—Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA TODAY, 25 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for touch off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for touch off
Verb
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But yeah, maybe she’s been a vegetarian this whole time and the proteins triggered something!—
Jackie Strause,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Apr. 2025
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Adopt or maintain healthy habits: Stress and illness can trigger allergic asthma.—
Verywell Health,
Verywell Health,
9 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Mars and Pluto activate your Leo-Aquarius axis on April 26, stirring questions about career, leadership, and emotional safety.—
Colin Bedell,
Them.,
18 Apr. 2025
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According to the statement, one NFI and one WFI were activated on April 14, and the other two NFIs were activated on April 16.—
Monisha Ravisetti,
Space.com,
18 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Beyond its commercial success, the production has generated substantial cultural impact, sparking over 3.8 million social media mentions in the first quarter of 2025 and achieving an 84% Net Sentiment Rate – the highest in its category.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
14 Apr. 2025
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The shooting has sparked outrage in the eastern Idaho city after video footage circulated on social media, and showed four officers opening fire on Victor behind a fence.—
Alex Brizee,
Idaho Statesman,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Authorities allege, per the AP, that White drove up next to Noble and got out of his car with a gun in his hand, prompting Noble to get out of his car and run away.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
People.com,
22 Mar. 2025
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Philanthropy can address market failures and lay the groundwork for scalable solutions, while investments follow to drive growth.—
Matt Damon,
TIME,
22 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Judy Benjamin, PhD, now 80 years old, set off on Saturday, April 5, on a 3,000-mile journey across the country.—
Melissa Rudy,
FOXNews.com,
14 Apr. 2025
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The price of oil, the lifeline of Moscow’s economy and war machine, has fallen nearly 15 percent since April 2, setting off fears of a global recession.—
Alexis Simendinger,
The Hill,
11 Apr. 2025
Verb
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That may be enough to power a standard laptop, but not enough to play video games with a powerful GPU.—
Benjamin Roulston,
The Conversation,
14 Mar. 2025
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Last month, Vodafone demoed the technology by using the BlueBird satellites to power a video call from a remote region in Wales that lacked traditional cell coverage.—
Michael Kan,
PCMAG,
3 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The company intended to move the drug into late-stage testing, which is generally the last phase of development before a company submits the potential treatment to government regulators for approval.—
Time,
Time,
15 Apr. 2025
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The bill also included moving $1.1 million from the Constitutional Defense Fund into the Legislative Legal Defense Fund.—
Alex Brizee,
Idaho Statesman,
15 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Touch off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/touch%20off. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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