to make something suddenly begin, often a difficult or violent situation
The latest bomb is likely to trigger off more violent demonstrations in the capital.
phrasetrigger off trigger off sth • trigger sth offespecially BrE to cause a particular event, illness, or reaction to begin: the events which triggered off the First World WarDr Pushtai's report triggered off an intense debate about the safety of genetically modified foods.Stress can trigger off a number of illnesses, such as heart disease or diabetes.■ SIMILAR TO: spark off, set off
trigger someone off
to cause someone to become angry. (Fig. on trigger something off.) Your rude comments triggered her off. Your comments triggered off Bob's temper.
trigger something off
to set something off, such as an explosion. We were afraid that the sparks from the engine would trigger an explosion off. The sparks triggered off an explosion.