# switch

Pronunciation: say "SWICH" /swɪt͡ʃ/

## Verb

1. To change from one place, task, or activity to another.
   - Simple: To move from one place, job, or activity to a different one.
   - _After ten years in banking, he decided to switch to teaching, even though it meant a smaller paycheck._
   - _She switched to a different department last spring._
3. To exchange one thing for another.
   - Simple: To trade one thing for another.
   - _Would you switch chairs with me?_
   - _They switched their tickets for an earlier flight._
4. To change something to a particular state by using a switch.
   - Simple: To use a switch to turn something on or off, or to change its setting.
   - _Switch the projector on before the meeting starts._
   - _She switched the oven to a lower setting._
9. To turn a train from one railway track to another, or to transfer it by means of a switch, often with a particle such as off or onto.
   - Simple: To move a train from one track onto another.
   - _The yard crew switched the freight cars onto the loading siding._
   - _They switch empty cars off the main line each evening._
12. To whip or strike a person or animal with a thin, flexible rod.
   - Simple: To hit someone with a thin, bendy stick.
   - _The old man switched the calf to drive it toward the barn._
   - _Parents in those days would switch a child for talking back._
13. To swing or whisk something quickly back and forth, or to move with a quick sweeping motion.
   - Simple: To move something, like a tail, quickly from side to side, or to move that way.
   - _Irritated animals switch their tails to ward off insects._
   - _The horse switched its tail sharply at the swarm of gnats._
16. To move the ball or a similar object from one side of the playing area to the other.
   - Simple: To pass the ball across the field from one side to the other.
   - _Defenders switch the attack to the opposite flank to create space._
   - _She switched the ball across the field with one long pass._
20. To become enraged suddenly, often quickly or for little reason. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To suddenly become very angry, often without a good reason.
   - _She switched as soon as she heard the insult._
   - _Some guys switch over the smallest sign of disrespect._

## Noun

2. A device that turns electric current on or off, or directs where it flows.
   - Simple: A device that turns electricity on or off, or changes where it flows.
   - _She pressed the switch and the motor stopped._
   - _Several switches on the panel control the lighting._
5. A change from one thing to another, or an exchange of one for another.
   - Simple: A change from one thing to another, or a swap.
   - _The team made a switch at halftime._
   - _Her switch from law to teaching surprised everyone._
6. A networking device that connects computers and forwards data to the device it is addressed to, so several can communicate at once, unlike a hub, which repeats everything to every port.
   - Simple: A device that links several computers so they can share information at the same time.
   - _The technician connected every server to a gigabit switch._
   - _Managed switches let administrators monitor traffic on each port._
7. A movable section of railroad track that directs a train onto one of two tracks. *(Philippines, US)*
   - Simple: A moving part of a railroad track that sends a train onto a different track.
   - _The dispatcher set the switch to route the freight onto the side track._
   - _Frozen switches delayed several trains during the storm._
8. A slender, flexible rod or plant stem used as a whip, especially for corporal punishment.
   - Simple: A thin, bendy stick cut from a plant, used as a whip, often to punish someone.
   - _He cut a switch from the willow to drive the cattle._
   - _The teacher kept a switch on her desk._
10. A system of relays or computer hardware that connects a caller's telephone line to the line they are calling.
   - Simple: Equipment that connects one phone line to another so people can talk.
   - _Engineers upgraded the central office switch to handle more calls._
   - _When lightning knocked out the town's telephone switch, no calls could get through for most of the afternoon._
11. A mechanism within DNA that turns a gene on or off.
   - Simple: A part of DNA that turns a gene on or off.
   - _Researchers identified a molecular switch that activates the gene during development._
   - _Several genetic switches regulate how the embryo forms._
14. A programming structure in which an expression’s value determines the action performed.
   - Simple: A part of a computer program that picks what to do based on a value.
   - _The developer replaced the nested conditions with a single switch._
   - _Several switches in the code handle different command types._
15. A command-line notation that lets you specify optional behavior.
   - Simple: A letter, symbol, or word added to a command to change what it does.
   - _Running the tool with the verbose switch prints extra output._
   - _Several switches control how the backup behaves._
17. In a team sport, a single pass or move that sends the ball, puck, or similar object across the playing area from one side to the other, as in a switch of play.
   - Simple: A play that moves the ball from one side of the field to the other.
   - _A well-timed switch opened up the right flank for an easy goal._
   - _The team's rapid switches stretched the defense thin._
19. A device that, fitted to a Glock pistol, converts it to fully automatic fire. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A small part added to a handgun that makes it keep firing while the trigger is held.
   - _The recovered handgun had a switch that made it fully automatic._
   - _The tiny switch, small enough to hide in a palm, snaps onto the back of a Glock and turns it into a fully automatic weapon._
21. A person who is willing both to dominate and to submit in a sexual relationship.
   - Simple: A person who is happy to take either the controlling or the submissive role in a sexual relationship.
   - _As a switch, he enjoyed both leading and yielding depending on his mood._
   - _Couples where both partners are switches often trade roles from night to night._
22. A separate mass or tress of hair, or of a hair-like substance such as jute, formerly worn on the head by women.
   - Simple: A bundle of extra hair, or something made to look like hair, that women used to wear on their heads.
   - _She fastened a dark switch to the back of her head before the ball._
   - _Victorian women often added switches to create elaborate updos._

## Adjective

18. In snowboarding or skiing, done with the body reversed from the usual stance, with the other foot leading or facing backward.
   - Simple: In snowboarding or skiing, riding the opposite way from how you normally ride.
   - _Landing the trick switch earned her extra points from the judges._
   - _His switch takeoff looked as smooth as his regular one._

## Other meanings

- (noun) A Glock pistol that has been equipped with a switch enabling fully automatic fire.
- (verb) To take on the opposite role (leader or follower) from the one you were dancing.
- (noun) A crazy eights variant whose players reverse the direction of their turns whenever a particular card, such as an ace, is played.
- (noun) The process by which the headmate currently fronting gives way to another; a single instance of that change.
- (verb) To trim or cut something down to a neater shape.
- (noun) A bundle of thin rods, often of birch, used as a beater on a drum or cymbal for a brushing, rustling effect.

## Origin

Perhaps from Middle Dutch swijch ("twig"), first attested around 1592. The sense of a mechanical device for changing direction first appeared around 1797, referring to the pivoted rails on minecart railways, which were once made of wood.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/switch (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).