switch·back
ˈswich-ˌbak 
: a zigzag road, trail, or section of railroad tracks for climbing a steep hill
switchback
adjective
switchbacked; switchbacking; switchbacks
: to follow a zigzag course especially for ascent or descent
a trail that switchbacks
Examples of switchback in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Mary Beth “mouse” Skylis, Outside, 29 Oct. 2025
Within half a mile, my longtime friend Danny Sadleir and I were pushing our bikes up the rocky switchbacks leading away from the trail’s northern terminus at the Utah border to make our way south up Buckskin Mountain toward the Kaibab Plateau.
—Joan Meiners, AZCentral.com, 20 Oct. 2025
Howard Walker, Robb Report, 3 Nov. 2025
The first two miles are the hardest, composed of rocky stairs and switchbacks winding steeply up the side of the mountain.
—Eva Frederick, Travel + Leisure, 14 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for switchback
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Noun
On Monday, Inyo County and Mono County Search and Rescue members hiked seven miles to the base of the switchbacks and confirmed the fatality, but inclement weather again prevented the rescue team from carrying the hiker’s body off the mountain.
—Mary Beth “mouse” Skylis, Outside, 29 Oct. 2025
Within half a mile, my longtime friend Danny Sadleir and I were pushing our bikes up the rocky switchbacks leading away from the trail’s northern terminus at the Utah border to make our way south up Buckskin Mountain toward the Kaibab Plateau.
—Joan Meiners, AZCentral.com, 20 Oct. 2025
Verb
Most roads were nothing more than unpaved, gravel tracks with steep inclines, scary drop-offs, and switchback curves.
—Howard Walker, Robb Report, 3 Nov. 2025
The first two miles are the hardest, composed of rocky stairs and switchbacks winding steeply up the side of the mountain.
—Eva Frederick, Travel + Leisure, 14 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for switchback
Cite this Entry
“Switchback.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/switchback. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.
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