switchboard

noun

switch·​board ˈswich-ˌbȯrd How to pronounce switchboard (audio)
: an apparatus (as in a telephone exchange) consisting of a panel on which are mounted electric switches so arranged that a number of circuits may be connected, combined, and controlled

Examples of switchboard in a Sentence

She used to work as a switchboard operator.
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Court documents revealed that excessive vibrations on the vessel damaged the ship's systems, causing its switchboards and transformers to fail. Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY, 25 Oct. 2024 Mulrooney modernized the town in other ways, too, helping bring Dawson its first telephone and telegraph, housing the switchboard in the Fair View, and forming the Hygeia Water Supply Company to provide safe drinking water. Melanie Haiken, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Oct. 2024 Around the time the story ran, the Channel 7 switchboard was getting up to 40 calls a day from viewers concerned about his absence from TV. Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, 19 Oct. 2024 No sooner had Robeson’s name gone out over the airwaves than the NBC switchboard lit up with angry calls from Cold War media warriors. Thomas Doherty, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for switchboard 

Word History

First Known Use

1873, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of switchboard was in 1873

Dictionary Entries Near switchboard

Cite this Entry

“Switchboard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/switchboard. Accessed 10 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

switchboard

noun
switch·​board -ˌbō(ə)rd How to pronounce switchboard (audio)
-ˌbȯ(ə)rd
: a device (as in a telephone exchange) consisting of a panel on which are mounted electric switches so arranged that a number of circuits may be connected, combined, and controlled

More from Merriam-Webster on switchboard

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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