switchblade

noun

switch·​blade ˈswich-ˌblād 

: a pocketknife having the blade spring-operated so that pressure on a release catch causes it to fly open

called also switchblade knife

Examples of switchblade in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

If the trade does go through as is, then other questions about the Raptors sprout up — namely, what is to come of RJ Barrett, the 26-year-old switchblade entering the final season of his contract and eligible for an extension this summer. — Fred Katz, New York Times, 16 July 2026

Alite provided loans at exorbitant rates before threatening violence to collect on them, authorities said, citing the discovery in his home of metal knuckles, an expandable baton, six baseball bats and about two dozen knives, including switchblades. — ABC News, 22 June 2026

It’s been a quarter century since the mostly Canadian supergroup New Pornographers sprang from the florid imagination of Carl Newman, a pop savant with an angel’s voice and switchblade wit. — Elizabeth Nelson, Pitchfork, 8 Apr. 2026

Forrest removed the cap of one and found a switchblade. — James Verini, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1932, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for switchblade

• afraid
• allayed
• arcade
• arrayed
• assayed
• barmaid
• betrayed
• blockade
• bridesmaid
• brigade
• brocade
• buffeted

Kids Definition

switchblade

noun

switch·​blade -ˌblād 

: a pocketknife with a spring-operated blade