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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Examples of touch off in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Two police officers were beaten outside a migrant shelter near Times Square, touching off outrage across the city.
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Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 10 Feb. 2024
In Burundi, Nkurunziza’s last-minute decision to run for reelection this month touched off a constitutional crisis, with street protests, a military coup, and a counter-coup.
—Stephen R. Weissman, Foreign Affairs, 8 June 2015
The shooting touched off three days of violent and fatal protests in the city.
—Jessica Van Egeren, Journal Sentinel, 3 July 2024
Sherri Papini is set to tell Investigation Discovery her side of the story about a 2016 kidnapping hoax that touched off a media firestorm and landed her in prison.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for touch off 
Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 10 Feb. 2024
In Burundi, Nkurunziza’s last-minute decision to run for reelection this month touched off a constitutional crisis, with street protests, a military coup, and a counter-coup.
—Stephen R. Weissman, Foreign Affairs, 8 June 2015
The shooting touched off three days of violent and fatal protests in the city.
—Jessica Van Egeren, Journal Sentinel, 3 July 2024
Sherri Papini is set to tell Investigation Discovery her side of the story about a 2016 kidnapping hoax that touched off a media firestorm and landed her in prison.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for touch off
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.
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“Touch off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/touch%20off. Accessed 18 Aug. 2024.
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