set off

1. Put in motion or move to act (synset 201647199)
   "trigger a reaction"; "actuate the circuits"
   causes: come about, fall out, go on, hap, happen, occur, pass, pass off, take place - come to pass
   is a type of: initiate, pioneer - take the lead or initiative in; participate in the development of
   same as: activate, actuate, spark, spark off, touch off, trigger, trigger off, trip
2. Leave (synset 202018017)
   "The family took off for Florida"
   is a type of: go away, go forth, leave - go away from a place
   subtypes:

   • lift off, take off - depart from the ground
   • roar off - leave
   • blaze, blaze out - move rapidly and as if blazing
   • sally forth, sally out - set out in a sudden, energetic or violent manner
   same as: depart, part, set forth, set out, start, start out, take off
3. Direct attention to, as if by means of contrast (synset 200515544)
   "This dress accentuates your nice figure!"; "I set off these words by brackets"
   is a type of: accent, accentuate, emphasise, emphasize, punctuate, stress - to stress, single out as important
   subtypes:

   • pick up - lift out or reflect from a background
   • foreground, highlight, play up, spotlight - move into the foreground to make more visible or prominent
   • raise - bring (a surface or a design) into relief and cause to project
   same as: bring out
4. Cause to burst with a violent release of energy (synset 200307505)
   "We exploded the nuclear bomb"
   causes: blow up, detonate, explode - burst and release energy as through a violent chemical or physical reaction
   is a type of: change integrity - change in physical make-up
   subtypes:

   • fulminate - cause to explode violently and with loud noise
   • dynamite - blow up with dynamite
   same as: blow up, detonate, explode
5. Make up for (synset 202723706)
   "His skills offset his opponent's superior strength"
   is a type of: balance, equilibrate, equilibrise, equilibrize - bring into balance or equilibrium
   subtypes: counteract, counterbalance, countervail, neutralize - oppose and mitigate the effects of by contrary actions
   same as: cancel, offset
6. Set in motion or cause to begin (synset 200350439)
   "The guide set the tour off to a good start"
   is a type of: begin, commence, lead off, start - set in motion, cause to start
7. Provoke or stir up (synset 200852919)
   "incite a riot"; "set off great unrest among the people"
   causes: act, move - perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
   is a type of: provoke, stimulate - provide the needed stimulus for
   subtypes: raise - activate or stir up
   same as: incite, instigate, stir up

Other Searches

• Rhyme: Dillfrog, RhymeZone
• Definition: Wiktionary, Dictionary.com, Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster, WordNet, Power Thesaurus
• Imagery: Google, Flickr, Bing