switch
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: swĭch
ipa: /swɪt͡ʃ/
rhymes: -ɪtʃ
Forms: form: switches
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.
Senses: glosses: A device to turn electric current on and off or direct its flow.
examples: text: 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.
ref: 1985 December 7, Nicholas Deutsch, “Epstein on the Beach (review)”, in Gay Community News, volume 13, number 21, page 15:
text: 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.
ref: 2011 January 19, Jonathan Stevenson, “Leeds 1 - 3 Arsenal”, in BBC:
text: 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.
ref: 2024 January 10, 'Industry Insider', “Success built on liberalisation and market freedom”, in RAIL, number 1000, page 69:
glosses: A change or exchange.
topics: rail-transport
railways
transport
glosses: A movable section of railroad track which allows the train to be directed down one of two destination tracks; (set of) points.
examples: text: 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; […]
ref: 1953, James Baldwin, “Florence's Prayer”, in Go Tell It on the Mountain (Penguin Classics), London: Penguin Books, published 2001, →ISBN:
text: "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.."
ref: 2007, Jeffrey W. Hamilton, Raising Godly Children in a Wicked World, Lulu.com, page 15:
glosses: A slender woody plant stem used as a whip; a thin, flexible rod, associated with corporal punishment in the United States.
topics: entertainment
lifestyle
music
glosses: Synonym of rute.
synonyms: word: rute
examples: text: Use the /b switch to specify black-and-white printing.
topics: computer
computing
engineering
mathematics
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
science
sciences
glosses: A command line notation allowing specification of optional behavior.
examples: ref: 2004, Curt, “Can I use IF statements, and still use switches?”, in microsoft.public.word.mailmerge.fields (Usenet):
topics: computing
engineering
mathematics
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
programming
sciences
glosses: A programming construct that takes different actions depending on the value of an expression.
topics: computing
engineering
mathematics
natural-sciences
networking
physical-sciences
sciences
glosses: 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.
topics: communications
electrical-engineering
engineering
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
telecommunications
glosses: 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.
topics: biology
genetics
medicine
natural-sciences
sciences
glosses: A mechanism within DNA that activates or deactivates a gene.
examples: text: 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.
ref: 2012, Terri-Jean Bedford, Bondage Bungalow Fantasies, page 99:
topics: BDSM
lifestyle
sexuality
glosses: One who is willing to take either a submissive or a dominant role in a sexual relationship.
glosses: 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.
topics: card-games
games
glosses: A variant of crazy eights where one card, such as an ace, reverses the direction of play.
topics: engineering
firearms
government
military
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
politics
tools
war
weaponry
glosses: Synonym of Glock switch.
synonyms: word: Glock switch
examples: text: The way that switch brrt, I know he dyin' (Oh my, oh my God). 6-7, I just bipped right on the highway (Bip, bip).
ref: 2024 December 1, “Doot Doot (6 7)” (track 27), in Zombie Love Kensington Paradise, performed by Skrilla:
topics: engineering
firearms
government
military
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
politics
tools
war
weaponry
glosses: Synonym of Glock switch.
A Glock pistol equipped with a Glock switch.
examples: text: Once a sign of surrender and lead protection, the backwards kick plays a role in one of the most enterprising, enjoyable phases of the modern game: the switch. In an era where zones, presses, zone-presses and floods are ever present, the switch breaks through these tactical innovations like a hot knife through butter.
ref: 2023 July 20, Cody Atkinson, Sean Lawson, “How the Brisbane Lions are switching directions in the AFL to achieve attacking success”, in ABC News, Sydney, retrieved 27 May 2025:
topics: hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: A play in which the ball (or equivalent) is moved from one side of the playing area to the other.
examples: text: Switches only happen once every couple weeks for us, but they're quite sudden when they happen.
qualifier: multiplicity slang
glosses: The process of the currently fronting headmate changing; an instance of this.
Synonyms: sense: section of railroad track
word: points
sense: whip
word: crop
sense: command-line notation
word: flag
sense: command-line notation
word: option
sense: command-line notation
word: specifier
Hyponyms: analogue switch
ball switch
breather 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
switch gear
switchgear
switch grass
switch hit
switch hitter
switch hook
switch horn
switch keeper
switchout
switch pitcher
switch-plant
switch selling
switch trading
switchy
Texas switch
toggle switch
trip switch
Turing switch
two-way switch
underload switch
wye switch