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
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of touch off
Skyrocketing salaries for top athletes and lucrative deals for college players have touched off a new gold rush among wealth management firms.
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Robert Frank, CNBC, 24 Dec. 2024
This week, scientists revealed climate change touched off the rare cascade of events because thinning ice triggered a landslide.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 13 Sep. 2024
On the witness stand last month, Momeni said Lee had attacked him in a fit of anger touched off by a joke.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 17 Dec. 2024
But the defense has argued throughout trial that other factors could have touched off the blaze, and that even if the cause was the stun gun, there is no proof Crawford meant to pull the trigger.
—Cristóbal Reyes, Orlando Sentinel, 21 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for touch off 
Robert Frank, CNBC, 24 Dec. 2024
This week, scientists revealed climate change touched off the rare cascade of events because thinning ice triggered a landslide.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 13 Sep. 2024
On the witness stand last month, Momeni said Lee had attacked him in a fit of anger touched off by a joke.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 17 Dec. 2024
But the defense has argued throughout trial that other factors could have touched off the blaze, and that even if the cause was the stun gun, there is no proof Crawford meant to pull the trigger.
—Cristóbal Reyes, Orlando Sentinel, 21 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for touch off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for touch off
Verb
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The defense argues that their pending appeal should trigger an automatic stay, which would pause the process.Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 6 Jan. 2025
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The inauguration in two weeks of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has brought a new element of uncertainty and triggered an apparent effort by both sides to establish battlefield gains before any possible peace talks.Illia Novikov, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Suppose Alice gives Bob one bitcoin in a transaction that will activate only after block 1 million.Korok Ray, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025
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The Chargers activated cornerback Eli Apple and wide receiver Simi Fehoko from injured reserve Friday and designated them for return.Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Choi has similarly spoken about the importance of handling the delicate situation in a prudent manner that avoids sparking wider unrest.Timothy Nerozzi, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 10 Jan. 2025
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Lyrics are usually the last part, but sometimes a specific idea or thought would spark me to write a structure around that.Ron Hart, SPIN, 10 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Banana and Nut Butter In addition to tryptophan, the sugar in ripe bananas may help release insulin, driving larger amino acids into muscle tissue.Allison Herries, Verywell Health, 14 Jan. 2025
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But the demand for them remains high, with a big driving force coming from young adults who are increasingly putting off having children but opting to get pets — and paying lots of money to treat them well.Jennifer Liu, CNBC, 14 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The court’s ruling set off a scramble by TikTok to appeal the case, and the company and creators went to the Supreme Court after the appeals court declined to pause the law from taking effect in order to give TikTok more time to bring its case before the Supreme Court.Alison Durkee, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025
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The soldier who authorities believe blew up a Cybertruck on New Year's Day in front of the entrance of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas used artificial intelligence to guide him about how to set off the explosion, officials said Tuesday.Tom Winter, NBC News, 8 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Acer has launched two new handheld PCs, the Nitro Blaze 8 and 11 with higher resolution displays powered by AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS processors.Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 8 Jan. 2025
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Under the hood, it’s powered by the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V processor, paired with up to 32GB of LPDDR5X RAM and up to 1TB of storage.Prakhar Khanna, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The couple had just moved from their modest fixer-upper in Altadena’s Janes Village to their dream home in architect Gregory Ain’s Park Planned homes, when the Eaton fire roared to life.Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2025
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Still, the ramifications for those who lived and moved across the Utah territory during this time echo throughout American history.Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 9 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near touch off
Cite this Entry
“Touch off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/touch%20off. Accessed 19 Jan. 2025.
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