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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for touched off
Verb
-
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency recently issued a joint advisory warning that two-factor authentication needed to be activated for all webmail and VPN accounts as a matter of urgency.—
Davey Winder,
Forbes,
22 Mar. 2025 -
The results showed that an infant appeared more likely to remember an image if the hippocampus activated more during the first exposure.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
21 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
An image of an orca donning a dead salmon on its head like a hat sparked speculation that an old 1980s fashion trend had returned.—
Danielle Hall,
Smithsonian Magazine,
24 Dec. 2024
-
The photo, which has gained widespread attention, has sparked a mix of reactions online.—
Hannah Parry,
Newsweek,
24 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
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
-
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
-
Strong trading revenues drove the beat, and shares rose 2% in early trading.—
Catherine Baab,
Quartz,
14 Apr. 2025
-
The man suffered minor injuries, drove himself to a hospital and was later released.—
Mitchell Willetts,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 Apr. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Touched off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/touched%20off. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share