switch 1 of 2

Definition of switchnext
1
as in to swap
to give up (something) and take something else in return switched the real grapes for fake ones switched the day of his flight from Thursday to Friday

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2
as in to flick
to move from side to side or up and down with quick jerky motions cows lazily switching their tails and chewing their cud

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3
4
as in to reverse
to change (as an opinion) to the contrary a politician who has switched his position on a number of issues

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

5

switch

2 of 2

noun

1
2
as in flick
a quick jerky movement from side to side or up and down that telltale switch of the cat's tail meant there was a mouse under the piano

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3

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of switch
Verb
Based on those warnings, health officials can switch treatment strategies before a drug fails completely. Kwesi Akonu Adom Mensah Forson, The Conversation, 26 Jan. 2026 Many Atlanta-area school districts and institutions are closed today or have switched to remote learning. Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Noun
Failure to flip either one of these switches will result in an inability to start up your snow blower. David Beaulieu, The Spruce, 1 Feb. 2026 But last year’s reliance on exports showed that the country’s leadership remains reluctant to make the switch. Jason Ma, Fortune, 1 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for switch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for switch
Verb
  • Add a jacket, swap the shoes, and suddenly your airport look works for sightseeing or dinner, too.
    Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 30 Jan. 2026
  • The Record of the Year nominees are nearly identical to the nominees for Song of the Year — just swap out a handful of demon hunters for a very sad commuter.
    Jason Lamphier, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Alijah Arenas switched between his forehand shot and backhand, flicking the plastic ball over the net to his opponent, former NBA star Brandon Jennings.
    Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 20 Jan. 2026
  • While the horses were flicking sand like fireworks.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • As my colleague Adam Serwer has written, many Minnesotans are engaging in protests and efforts to deliver food and supplies to families in hiding.
    Julie Beck, The Atlantic, 31 Jan. 2026
  • Asked whether the 2-0 derby defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford on January 17 might have gone a different way had Diogo Dalot been red-carded in the 11th minute for a knee-high foul on Jeremy Doku, Guardiola was insistent that his Manchester City team could not hide behind the decision.
    Sam Lee, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • By owning the payment rails, Papaya could reverse-engineer payroll around certainty by designing systems backward from the pay date.
    Geri Stengel, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
  • Good briefly reversed then drove forward, beginning to turn right.
    N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 29 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Mitch West, meanwhile, was licking his wounds on Monday night, when snow still hadn’t touched down in his region of South Carolina.
    Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 28 Jan. 2026
  • England’s Test team are still licking their wounds after their humbling Down Under.
    Sam Dalling, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Between the whip lash of braving icy winds and retreating to heat-blasting apartments, nearly every skin type can start to feel off-balance.
    Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 27 Jan. 2026
  • Some white parents beat their children with the same whips the apartheid police used in Black neighborhoods.
    Eve Fairbanks, The Dial, 27 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • The silk mousseline garments floated almost like ghosts or memories of Chanel designs past, including the famous skirt suit with its matching cardigan and Karl Lagerfeld modernisms like jeans with a tweed jacket, plus the iconic flap bag.
    CNN Money, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
  • In 70 experiments conducted over a few days, Veronika applied the implement exclusively to hard-to-reach areas, like her rump, loin, thurl and navel flap.
    Leslie Katz, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Things have been bad between Bass and Horvath for more than a year, with the two Democrats taking veiled, and sometimes not-so-veiled, swipes at each other.
    David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2026
  • The final touch was a couple of swipes of Huda Beauty’s Power Bullet Matte Lipstick* in the shade—wait for it—Honeymoon.
    Jesa Marie Calaor, Allure, 31 Jan. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Switch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/switch. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.

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