code-switching

noun

code-switch·​ing ˈkōd-ˌswi-chiŋ 

: the act or practice of changing one's speech, behavior, etc. to suit different social or cultural contexts

… Black office workers were more likely than white workers to say they preferred remote work, because it reduced the need for code-switching (changing behavior in different contexts) and increased their sense of belonging at work.

—Claire Cain Miller

specifically, linguistics : a switching from the linguistic system of one language or dialect to that of another (as for different social or cultural contexts)

Examples of code-switching in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For decades, professional success in media and corporate America often depended on mastering one skill above all else: code-switching. —Jasmine Browley, Forbes.com, 13 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1953, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for code-switching

• bewitching
• enriching
• bitching
• ditching
• hitching
• itching
• pitching
• stitching
• switching
• twitching
• witching