touch off

verb

touched off; touching off; touches off
Synonyms of touch offnext

transitive verb

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 of touch off

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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
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.
CrowdStrike and Palo Alto Networks were our two biggest winners last week — both up more than 11% as news of the security flaws in the PHP programming language touched off a global security scramble. — Alexa Lomonaco, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2026 The meeting touched off a month of around-the-clock calls and video conferences. — Cate Brown, ProPublica, 21 Oct. 2026 Trump’s tariffs on Canada, for example, have touched off a trade war with one of the United States’ closest allies. — Kim Hjelmgaard, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2026 That touched off several years of legal confusion, including lower court rulings that disagreed with each other. — Dan Walters, Mercury News, 27 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for touch off

Word History

First Known Use

1694, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of touch off was in 1694

Rhymes for touch off

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Browse Nearby Words

touch needle
touch off
touch on/upon
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Touch off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/touch%20off. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

touch off

verb
: to start by or as if by touching with fire
the announcement touched off riots
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