as in to trigger
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
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Recent Examples of touch off
Their disappearance was not noticed for several hours and touched off a massive, more than weeklong manhunt.
—
Jack Moore, ABC News, 26 May 2025
And that is touching off intense anger among progressive politicians and the local environmental community.
—Stephen Hudak, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 July 2025
But even before the pandemic touched off this current period of upheaval, businesses' technical skill requirements were already rapidly evolving.
—Elaine Pulakos, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025
Another missile hit a fuel refinery in the coastal city of Haifa, touching off a huge blaze.
—Greg Myre, NPR, 16 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for touch off
Jack Moore, ABC News, 26 May 2025
And that is touching off intense anger among progressive politicians and the local environmental community.
—Stephen Hudak, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 July 2025
But even before the pandemic touched off this current period of upheaval, businesses' technical skill requirements were already rapidly evolving.
—Elaine Pulakos, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025
Another missile hit a fuel refinery in the coastal city of Haifa, touching off a huge blaze.
—Greg Myre, NPR, 16 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for touch off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for touch off
Verb
-
Even properties that typically have strict policies often make exceptions in the face of an impending emergency; still, read the fine print, because a looming storm might not be enough to trigger full refunds unless official travel warnings or evacuation orders are in place.—
Skye Sherman,
Travel + Leisure,
15 July 2025
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This can trigger trading loses, or systemic market risks to insolvency and liquidity, according to S&P Global Ratings.—
Alain Sherter,
CBS News,
15 July 2025
Verb
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Leo activates your solar 10th house, urging bold moves, leadership, and visibility.—
Alexis Simmerman,
Austin American Statesman,
24 July 2025
-
Then, just place your first bet to activate your offer.—
Tyler Everett,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 July 2025
Verb
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From the iPhone to the Birkin bag, marketing is replete with examples of must have accessories that spark a buying frenzy.—
Anjana Susarla,
Forbes.com,
21 July 2025
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This radical lifestyle shift sparked a DIY renaissance.—
Sophie Flaxman,
Better Homes & Gardens,
21 July 2025
Verb
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That in turn drove low wages for workers, high staff turnover and limited capacity for children.—
Rachel Wegner,
The Tennessean,
26 July 2025
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The company eventually evolved to using trucks — Jim Janssen recalled driving the milk trucks at just 11.—
Emma George-Griffin,
Freep.com,
25 July 2025
Verb
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Holmes had set off tear gas grenades and indiscriminately shot people using multiple firearms.—
AZCentral.com,
AZCentral.com,
21 July 2025
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But its interest would set off a free-for-all among large railroads and pose a test of the Trump administration’s enthusiasm for industrial consolidation.—
Rohan Goswami,
semafor.com,
21 July 2025
Verb
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Every few years, the video game industry invents what many people expect to become the future of play—VR headsets, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and currently, non-player characters (NPCs) powered by large language models (LLMs).—
Ben Kim,
Forbes.com,
16 July 2025
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Warehouse demand has struggled to fill excess space built up since those lows, which were powered by a red-hot market characterized by record e-commerce growth that had everyone in retail looking for more storage space.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
15 July 2025
Verb
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The two-bagger saw Volpe and Jazz Chisholm Jr. move toward the outfield for a cutoff throw from Aaron Judge.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
20 July 2025
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Residents of several communities were ordered to move inland to higher ground.—
John Bacon,
USA Today,
20 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Touch off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/touch%20off. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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