How to Use set off in a Sentence

set off

verb

• The success of these drugs has set off a boom in research.
  — Emma Court, Fortune Well, 31 Jan. 2024
• The trio sets off on a mission for Aang to learn all four elements and help save the world.
  — Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2024
• For most people, cold hands shouldn’t set off alarm bells.
  — Caroline C. Boyle, USA TODAY, 17 Aug. 2024
• But the officials missed the deadline, setting off the rest of the delays.
  — Jaden Edison, Hartford Courant, 13 Jan. 2024
• His memoir, The Thrill of the Chase, set off a nationwide treasure hunt.
  — Popular Mechanics, 10 Mar. 2023
• Once again, Talking Heads are setting off dance parties around the world.
  — Rob Tannenbaum, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2023
• Ralph DeFalco of Annapolis brought his young children to the ocean at 2:45 a.m. to watch the boats set off.
  — Hayes Gardner, Baltimore Sun, 11 Aug. 2023
• To set off the look, the actress carried a hot pink handbag and sparkly retro cell phone.
  — Genevieve Cepeda, Peoplemag, 28 Nov. 2023
• On Wall Street, that set off speculation that a merger might be in the works.
  — Aaron Pressman, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Jan. 2023
• Duplantis rose, rose, let go—and cleared the bar, falling to the mat and setting off a cathartic roar.
  — Sean Gregory / Saint-Denis, TIME, 6 Aug. 2024
• Forgot when Amelia Earhart set off on her fateful flight?
  — Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 18 Jan. 2023
• The royal set off around 7 a.m. local time, awake for the early workout likely thanks in part to the jet lag as the U.K. is five hours ahead.
  — Simon Perry, Peoplemag, 19 Sep. 2023
• His luscious food calls for a party and the restaurant obliges with a private room, set off with a red rug on the wall, that can seat up to 50.
  — Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 27 Nov. 2023
• Prices surged in the days leading to July 4 as travelers set off on trips.
  — Miami Herald Archives Update, Miami Herald, 8 July 2024
• Officials may have set off claims for a First Amendment case.
  — Prem Thakker, The New Republic, 12 July 2023
• Former President Trump sets off alarms about what his return to the White House could look like.
  — Nbc Universal, NBC News, 10 Dec. 2023
• Further strength could set off more alarm bells about inflation and Fed rate hikes.
  — Paul R. La Monica, CNN, 5 Jan. 2023
• That's because when a baby lies on their back, mucus drips down the nasal passages to the back of the throat and sets off a cough response to keep the fluid out of the lungs.
  — Rebecca Stewart, Parents, 21 Dec. 2023
• The war was set off by the militant group Hamas' Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel.
  — Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY, 14 Aug. 2024
• Burglars gained access to the building and entered the vault without setting off the alarms.
  — Alexandra Banner, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
• At the end of the school year, my father loaded my brother Scott into a VW van and set off overland for India.
  — Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 8 Jan. 2024
• Despite the public fallout, Moceanu set off a spark behind the scenes.
  — Christine Yu, SELF, 17 July 2024
• Biden had used the word to describe Xi earlier this year, setting off a furor in the Chinese state media.
  — Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 17 Nov. 2023
• The pair set off on major adventures around the globe searching for ways to defeat Black Manta.
  — Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Dec. 2023
• Passage of the bill, just hours ahead of Saturday’s 12:01 a.m. shutdown deadline, set off a sprint in the Senate to avert a lapse in funding.
  — Catie Edmondson, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024
• The discovery of a dead desert bighorn sheep near an Arizona field has set off a search for the poacher, wildlife officials said.
  — Helena Wegner, Sacramento Bee, 12 Feb. 2024
• Montgomery took a set off Sabalenka this year in Madrid during the clay-court season.
  — Varun Shankar, Washington Post, 30 July 2024
• The caller said someone egged their car and set off fireworks near their property.
  — Brian Lisik, cleveland, 15 Aug. 2023
• On a pilgrimage to Italy, an encounter with a mysterious statue set off a hunt to uncover its message.
  — Sarah Schutte, National Review, 15 Sep. 2024
• When Grady finds Ashley’s body the next day, the subsequent quest for answers sets off a chain reaction of recrimination and revelations.
  — Paula L. Woods, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2024

Last Updated: 3 Oct 2024