touch off
verb
touched off; touching off; touches off
1
a
: to provoke or initiate with sudden intensity
the verdict touched off local riots
b
: to cause to explode by or as if by touching with fire
2
: to describe or characterize with precision
Synonyms
Examples of touch off in a Sentence
his obscene comment touched off a heated debate about the need for censorship on live broadcasts
Recent Examples on the Web
In addition to touching off anger around the world, the strikes have caused concern that the distribution of food aid in Gaza – which was already extremely limited – will become even more dangerous.
—
Rob Picheta, CNN, 4 Apr. 2024
The proposal has touched off fierce disagreement between hunters and wildlife protection advocates in a state known for both its progressive politics and its traditional rural culture, steeped for generations in hunting, fishing and trapping.
—Jenna Russell, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2024
The move touched off one of the most bizarre and byzantine scandals ever to hit the sports card industry.
—Daniel Miller, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024
While Blackstock’s request is pending, Clarkson filed her cross-complaint Monday as a response to the September 2020 lawsuit brought by Starstruck that essentially touched off the ex-couple’s financial war soon after Clarkson filed for divorce from Blackstock in June of 2020.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 13 Mar. 2024
The sit-in movement had been touched off on Feb. 1, 1960, when four Black college students sat down at a White-only lunch counter at an F.W. Woolworth five-and-dime store in downtown Greensboro, N.C.
—Emily Langer, Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2024
The deadliest terrorist attack in Israel’s history then touched off a war in Gaza that has left nearly 30,000 people dead, according to Palestinian authorities.
—Corky Siemaszko, NBC News, 23 Feb. 2024
In most other circumstances, the photoshopped image of Kate Middleton might not have touched off a firestorm.
—Elizabeth Lopatto, The Verge, 13 Mar. 2024
But the Biden administration sought to scrap Trump’s approach starting in 2021, touching off a lengthy and contentious effort that ultimately revived the Obama-era standards.
—Tony Romm, Washington Post, 5 Mar. 2024
Rob Picheta, CNN, 4 Apr. 2024
The proposal has touched off fierce disagreement between hunters and wildlife protection advocates in a state known for both its progressive politics and its traditional rural culture, steeped for generations in hunting, fishing and trapping.
—Jenna Russell, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2024
The move touched off one of the most bizarre and byzantine scandals ever to hit the sports card industry.
—Daniel Miller, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024
While Blackstock’s request is pending, Clarkson filed her cross-complaint Monday as a response to the September 2020 lawsuit brought by Starstruck that essentially touched off the ex-couple’s financial war soon after Clarkson filed for divorce from Blackstock in June of 2020.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 13 Mar. 2024
The sit-in movement had been touched off on Feb. 1, 1960, when four Black college students sat down at a White-only lunch counter at an F.W. Woolworth five-and-dime store in downtown Greensboro, N.C.
—Emily Langer, Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2024
The deadliest terrorist attack in Israel’s history then touched off a war in Gaza that has left nearly 30,000 people dead, according to Palestinian authorities.
—Corky Siemaszko, NBC News, 23 Feb. 2024
In most other circumstances, the photoshopped image of Kate Middleton might not have touched off a firestorm.
—Elizabeth Lopatto, The Verge, 13 Mar. 2024
But the Biden administration sought to scrap Trump’s approach starting in 2021, touching off a lengthy and contentious effort that ultimately revived the Obama-era standards.
—Tony Romm, Washington Post, 5 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'touch off.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near touch off
Cite this Entry
“Touch off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/touch%20off. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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