# switch
## English
### Etymology

Perhaps from Middle Dutch swijch (“twig”), first attested in c. 1592. The mechanical device for altering the direction of something sense is first attested in c. 1797, pertaining to pivoted rails on minecart railways, which were once wooden.

### Pronunciation

* enPR: swĭch, IPA: /swɪt͡ʃ/
* Audio (US):(file)
* Rhymes: -ɪtʃ

### Noun

switch (plural switches)
* A device to turn electric current on and off or direct its flow.
* A change or exchange.
** 1985 December 7, Nicholas Deutsch, “Epstein on the Beach (review)”, in Gay Community News, volume 13, number 21, page 15:After many complications and sudden switches of career and identity for all […] they end up selling out for fame and money, and leave the boardwalk for good.
** 2011 January 19, Jonathan Stevenson, “Leeds 1 - 3 Arsenal”, in BBC‎:Wenger sent on Cesc Fabregas and Van Persie to try to finish Leeds off and with 14 minutes left the switch paid off as the Spaniard sent Bendtner away down the right and his wonderful curling cross was headed in by Van Persie at the far post.
** 2024 January 10, 'Industry Insider', “Success built on liberalisation and market freedom”, in RAIL, number 1000, page 69:This is a result of a switch from High Street to online retailing, requiring consumer goods to be delivered to the door from large-scale distribution parks that have sufficient traffic to justify a rail terminal.
* (rail transport, US, Philippines) A movable section of railroad track which allows the train to be directed down one of two destination tracks; (set of) points.
* A slender woody plant stem used as a whip; a thin, flexible rod, associated with corporal punishment in the United States.
** 1953, James Baldwin, “Florence's Prayer”, in Go Tell It on the Mountain (Penguin Classics), London: Penguin Books, published 2001, →ISBN:Their mother would walk out into the yard and cut a switch from a tree and beat him—beat him, it seemed to Florence, until any other boy would have fallen down dead; […]
** 2007, Jeffrey W. Hamilton, Raising Godly Children in a Wicked World, Lulu.com, page 15:"A proper switch is a slim, flexible branch off a tree or a bush. A switch applied to the buttocks stings fiercely. It may leave red marks or bruises, but it causes no lasting damage.."
* (music) Synonym of rute.
* (computer science) A command line notation allowing specification of optional behavior.
    Use the /b switch to specify black-and-white printing.
* (computing, programming) A programming construct that takes different actions depending on the value of an expression.
** 2004, Curt, “Can I use IF statements, and still use switches?”, in microsoft.public.word.mailmerge.fields (Usenet):
* (computing, networking) A networking device connecting multiple wires, allowing them to communicate simultaneously, when possible. Compare to the less efficient hub device that solely duplicates network packets to each wire.
* (telecommunications) A system of specialized relays, computer hardware, or other equipment which allows the interconnection of a calling party's telephone line with any called party's line.
* (genetics) A mechanism within DNA that activates or deactivates a gene.
* (especially BDSM) One who is willing to take either a submissive or a dominant role in a sexual relationship.
** 2012, Terri-Jean Bedford, Bondage Bungalow Fantasies, page 99:Ideally, if one of your ladies happens to be a switch (or would be willing to switch for this scene), I would love to be able to inflict a little "revenge tickling" as well, as part of a scenario.
* (historical) A separate mass or tress of hair, or of some substance (such as jute) made to resemble hair, formerly worn on the head by women.
* (card games) A variant of crazy eights where one card, such as an ace, reverses the direction of play.
* (firearms, slang) Synonym of Glock switch.
** (slang, metonymically) A Glock pistol equipped with a Glock switch.

#### Synonyms

* (section of railroad track): (UK) points
* (whip): crop
* (command-line notation): flag, option, specifier

#### Hyponyms

* analogue switch
* ball switch
* bubble switch
* centrifugal switch
* company switch
* digital switch
* DIP switch, dipswitch
* disconnect switch
* double pole, double throw switch
* fireman's switch
* float switch
* footswitch
* four-way switch
* hall-effect switch
* inertial switch
* isolator switch
* key switch
* kill switch
* knife switch
* latching switch
* light switch
* limit switch
* load control switch
* man's switch
* membrane switch
* mercury tilt switch
* microswitch
* network switch
* piezo switch
* pressure switch
* pull switch
* push switch
* railway switch
* reed switch
* reversing switch
* riboswitch
* rotary switch
* sail switch
* sense switch
* slotted optical switch
* stepping switch
* telecommunications switch
* thermal switch
* three-way switch
* tilt switch
* time switch
* touch switch
* transfer switch
* vandal resistant switch
* wall-mounted switch
* wireless light switch
* zero speed switch

#### Derived terms

* antenna switch
* antiswitch
* arrow switch
* asleep at the switch
* bait and switch
* bait-and-switch
* big red switch
* big switch
* bitch switch
* blab-off switch
* chicken switch
* circuit switched
* core switch
* crossbar switch
* dead man's switch
* dimmer switch
* DIP switch
* dipswitch
* double switch
* footswitch
* Glock switch
* hat switch
* hook switch
* hot switch
* intermediate switch
* jackknife switch
* mercury switch
* microswitch
* multiway switching
* on-off switch
* optical switch
* pickle switch
* public switched
* Q-switch
* railroad switch
* replacing switch
* RF switch matrix
* sleeping at the switch
* split switch
* Strowger switch
* switch access
* switchback
* switchblade
* switchboard
* switch box
* switch cane
* switch dealing
* switch engine
* switcheroo
* switchgear
* switch gear
* switch grass
* switch hit
* switch hitter
* switch hook
* switch horn
* switch keeper
* switchout
* switch pitcher
* switch selling
* switch trading
* switchy
* Texas switch
* toggle switch
* trip switch
* Turing switch
* two-way switch
* underload switch
* wye switch

#### Descendants

* → Gulf Arabic: سويچ (swīč)
* → German: Switch

#### Translations

    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

### Verb

switch (third-person singular simple present switches, present participle switching, simple past and past participle switched)
* (transitive) To exchange.
** 2013 June 1, “Ideas coming down the track”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8838, page 13 (Technology Quarterly):A “moving platform” scheme […] is more technologically ambitious than maglev trains even though it relies on conventional rails. Local trains would use side-by-side rails to roll alongside intercity trains and allow passengers to switch trains by stepping through docking bays.
    I want to switch this red dress for a green one.
* (transitive) To change (something) to the specified state using a switch.
    Switch the light on.
* (transitive, in modern times Southern US) To whip or hit with a switch.
** 1899 March, Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume CLXV, number MI, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publishing Company, […], →OCLC, part II:They were looking on the ground, absorbed in thought. The manager was switching his leg with a slender twig: his sagacious relative lifted his head.
* (intransitive) To change places, tasks, etc.
    I want to switch to a different seat.
* (slang, intransitive) To get angry suddenly; to quickly or unreasonably become enraged.
* To swing or whisk.
    to switch a cane
* To be swung or whisked.
    The angry cat's tail switched back and forth.
* To trim.
** 1811, Walter Nicol, The Planters Kalendar:Switch and clip thorn and other deciduous hedges.
* To turn from one railway track to another; to transfer by a switch; generally with off, from, etc.
    to switch off a train; to switch a car from one track to another
* (ecclesiastical) To shift to another circuit.
* (intransitive) To take on the opposite role (leader vs. follower) in a partner dance.
** 2023 February 18 (last accessed), “Heather Lombardi”, in The Dancing Fools‎:Feel free to ask her to follow, lead, or switch!

#### Synonyms

* (to exchange): interchange, swap; See also Thesaurus:switch

#### Derived terms

* code-switch
* switch codes
* switch gears
* switch out
* switch tack
* switch teams
* switch up

#### Descendants

* → Dutch: switchen
* → German: switchen

#### Translations

    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

### Adjective

switch (not comparable)
* (snowboarding) Pertaining to riding with the front and back feet swapped round compared to one's normal position.
* (freestyle skiing) Pertaining to skiing backwards.

#### Coordinate terms

(snowboarding):
* goofy
* regular

#### Translations
### See also

* switch off
* switch on

### References

* ↑ Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “switch (n.), sense I.3.a,” June 2024, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/4056072461.
* ↑ BBC Sport, "Sochi 2014: A jargon-busting guide to the halfpipe", 11 February 2014

### Further reading

* switch on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
* switch (corporal punishment) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

## Dutch
### Pronunciation

* Audio:(file)

### Etymology 1

Borrowed from English switch.

#### Noun

switch m (plural switches, diminutive switchje n)
* switch (act of switching)
    Synonyms: wissel, verandering, overgang
    Hij maakte een grote switch in zijn leven door te verhuizen. ― He made a big switch in his life by moving to a new place.
* (BDSM) switch (person interested in acting both in a dominant and a submissive sexual role)

##### Derived terms

* carrièreswitch

##### Related terms

* switchen

### Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

#### Verb

switch
* inflection of switchen:
** first-person singular present indicative
** (in case of inversion) second-person singular present indicative
** imperative

## Finnish
### Etymology

From English switch.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈswitʃ/, [ˈs̠wit̪ʃ]
* Rhymes: -itʃ

### Noun

switch
* (BDSM) switch

#### Declension

Possessive forms of switch (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation) :
first-person singular possessor
singular
plural
nominative
switchini
switchini
accusative
nom.
switchini
switchini
gen.
switchini
genitive
switchini
switchieni
partitive
switchiäni
switchejäni
inessive
switchissäni
switcheissäni
elative
switchistäni
switcheistäni
illative
switchiini
switcheihini
adessive
switchilläni
switcheilläni
ablative
switchiltäni
switcheiltäni
allative
switchilleni
switcheilleni
essive
switchinäni
switcheinäni
translative
switchikseni
switcheikseni
abessive
switchittäni
switcheittäni
instructive
comitative
—switcheineni
second-person singular possessor
singular
plural
nominative
switchisi
switchisi
accusative
nom.
switchisi
switchisi
gen.
switchisi
genitive
switchisi
switchiesi
partitive
switchiäsi
switchejäsi
inessive
switchissäsi
switcheissäsi
elative
switchistäsi
switcheistäsi
illative
switchiisi
switcheihisi
adessive
switchilläsi
switcheilläsi
ablative
switchiltäsi
switcheiltäsi
allative
switchillesi
switcheillesi
essive
switchinäsi
switcheinäsi
translative
switchiksesi
switcheiksesi
abessive
switchittäsi
switcheittäsi
instructive
comitative
—switcheinesi
first-person plural possessor
singular
plural
nominative
switchimme
switchimme
accusative
nom.
switchimme
switchimme
gen.
switchimme
genitive
switchimme
switchiemme
partitive
switchiämme
switchejämme
inessive
switchissämme
switcheissämme
elative
switchistämme
switcheistämme
illative
switchiimme
switcheihimme
adessive
switchillämme
switcheillämme
ablative
switchiltämme
switcheiltämme
allative
switchillemme
switcheillemme
essive
switchinämme
switcheinämme
translative
switchiksemme
switcheiksemme
abessive
switchittämme
switcheittämme
instructive
comitative
—switcheinemme
second-person plural possessor
singular
plural
nominative
switchinne
switchinne
accusative
nom.
switchinne
switchinne
gen.
switchinne
genitive
switchinne
switchienne
partitive
switchiänne
switchejänne
inessive
switchissänne
switcheissänne
elative
switchistänne
switcheistänne
illative
switchiinne
switcheihinne
adessive
switchillänne
switcheillänne
ablative
switchiltänne
switcheiltänne
allative
switchillenne
switcheillenne
essive
switchinänne
switcheinänne
translative
switchiksenne
switcheiksenne
abessive
switchittänne
switcheittänne
instructive
comitative
—switcheinenne
third-person possessor
singular
plural
nominative
switchinsä
switchinsä
accusative
nom.
switchinsä
switchinsä
gen.
switchinsä
genitive
switchinsä
switchiensä
partitive
switchiään switchiänsä
switchejään switchejänsä
inessive
switchissään switchissänsä
switcheissään switcheissänsä
elative
switchistään switchistänsä
switcheistään switcheistänsä
illative
switchiinsä
switcheihinsä
adessive
switchillään switchillänsä
switcheillään switcheillänsä
ablative
switchiltään switchiltänsä
switcheiltään switcheiltänsä
allative
switchilleen switchillensä
switcheilleen switcheillensä
essive
switchinään switchinänsä
switcheinään switcheinänsä
translative
switchikseen switchiksensä
switcheikseen switcheiksensä
abessive
switchittään switchittänsä
switcheittään switcheittänsä
instructive
comitative
—switcheineen switcheinensä :

## French
### Etymology

Borrowed from English switch.

### Pronunciation

* Audio:(file)

### Adjective

switch
* (skiing, snowboarding) switch
* (especially BDSM) One who is willing to take either a submissive or a dominant role in a sexual relationship.

## Portuguese
### Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English switch.

### Pronunciation

* (Brazil) IPA: /ˈswit͡ʃ/

### Noun

switch m (plural switches or switch)
* (networking) switch (device connecting multiple wires, allowing them to communicate simultaneously)
* (computing) switch (command line notation allowing specification of optional behaviour)
* (programming) switch (construct that takes different actions depending on the value of an expression)