touches off

verb

Definition of touches offnext
present tense third-person singular of touch off
as in triggers
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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for touches off
  1. activates
  2. sparks
  3. drives
Verb
  • Elle Fanning is Sylvie Russo, a muse who politically activates Dylan at a key moment; the moniker may be different, but a Suze (Rotolo) by any other name smells just as sweet, and Fanning fleshes out a woman who’s too often been relegated to a footnote in Bob’s saga.
    David Fear, Rolling Stone, 10 Dec. 2024
  • New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers is getting a big offensive boost as the team activates star wide receiver Allen Lazard ahead of Week 14's faceoff against the Miami Dolphis, NFL Insider Jordan Schultz reports.
    Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 7 Dec. 2024
Definition of activates
Verb
  • This design choice highlights the robot’s internal mechanisms and sparks discussions about the nature of humanity and the potential of artificial intelligence.
    Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 10 Dec. 2024
  • Her mother, Mary Jo (Jane Drake Brody), is an alcoholic who later has a stroke that sparks violent behavior, requiring long-term hospitalization.
    Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 9 Dec. 2024
Definition of sparks
Verb
  • Here are the three ways people try to balance inconsistency in relationships, and what drives them, according to the study.
    Mark Travers, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
  • This data allows data scientists to analyze the effectiveness of features, pinpoint areas for improvement and understand what truly drives user engagement and satisfaction.
    Dan Rogers, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
Definition of drives
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.

Thesaurus Entries Near touches off

touches down

touches off

touches (on)

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Touches off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/touches%20off. Accessed 25 Dec. 2024.

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