Definition of switchback
: a zigzag road, trail, or section of railroad tracks for climbing a steep hill
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Recent Examples of switchback from the Web
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Climbing the canyons above Malibu, California, handling the tight, twisting sweepers, descending into quick switchbacks, the Expedition exudes confidence and stability.
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The trail leads down to the road via the switchbacks, cliffs or roots, which are all safe options thanks to this summer's uncharacteristically dry weather.
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In a passage near the end, the performers moved in what Ms. Kravas calls, in a program note, a switchback: a simple-seeming phrase that had dancers going to and fro to face one way, then the opposite.
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From Upper Deadfall Lake, the trail climbs to the Trinity Divide Ridge, then turns left and climbs to the summit in a series of switchbacks, roughly a 1,200-foot climb over 1.5 miles.
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And for everyone who still wants to drive for the thrill of the switchback and the freedom of the open road, there will be a Slingshot, or some descendent of it.
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These cells send along a signal for other cells down the line, creating a switchback cascade of flexing muscle that pulls the fins in the exact undulating motion of a real stingray.
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By 6 o’clock, the line at Marugame Udon at Stonestown had grown so long that the cashier darted out into the parking lot to re-channel the people into a series of switchbacks.
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But Roth always seemed ambivalent about his social provocations, and a better measure of his bravery shows in the switchbacks on his first book’s opening page.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'switchback.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of switchback
1863
Definition of switchback
switchbacked;
switchbacking;
switchbacks
: to follow a zigzag course especially for ascent or descent
- a trail that switchbacks
Recent Examples of switchback from the Web
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Flanagan cannot quite make Ziggy’s magnetism or sinister influence plausible, but the novel, with its switchbacking recollections and cyclical dialogue, its penetrating scenes of birth and, eventually, death, is enigmatic and mesmerizing.
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From the main entrance near Broad and Noble Streets, the trail switchbacks past urban glades, clusters of benches, reimagined steel catenaries, and a public art sculpture that resembles (much too literally) a telephone pole.
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Jerome is laid out vertically, with Arizona 89A switchbacking through it.
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Find two easily accessible ones at the Upper Picnic Area, or drive down to the canoe launch area for a challenging hike via switchbacks up Mt. Pisgah.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'switchback.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of switchback
1903
SWITCHBACK Defined for English Language Learners
Definition of switchback for English Language Learners
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: a road, trail, or section of railroad tracks that has many sharp turns for climbing a steep hill
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