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
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
This gives you a full picture of your spending without having to switch between accounts. Faith Wakefield, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2026 China was also able to quickly switch from oil- and gas-burning electricity plants to coal, demonstrating unparalleled resilience in the face of an unprecedented oil shock. David Goldman, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2026
Noun
Somewhere between the November board deck and the January operating review, the unit of measurement changed, from what the team can produce to how busy the team is, and nobody announced the switch. Sreedhar Peddineni, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2026 All three globe bulbs are concealed here, as is most of the cord, but a foot pedal on/off switch ensures ease of use. Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 2 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for switch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for switch
Verb
  • At the previous race in Zandvoort last month, Ferrari didn’t issue team orders to swap its drivers at a critical late moment, where Leclerc was leading Hamilton but the Briton was faster on a different tire strategy.
    Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • But sometimes, a single one of these letters will mutate, swapping an A for a G, for instance.
    Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • That’s the good life for a family that rarely flicked on the television in their childhood home.
    Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • As if to signal this iteration hasn’t completely deviated from its roots, in the show’s opening moments, Deborah Wayne coolly flicks the iconic flip-up frames made famous by Hardison’s Dwayne.
    Senior Television, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Instead of hiding the internal mechanism, the design makes the mechanical elements part of the experience — allowing users to see, feel, and interact with the structure.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Taylor built a career out of being fully, unapologetically herself, rarely hiding behind the cloak of fame with an unrelenting focus on her pursuits.
    Kathy Lee, Footwear News, 9 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Giving manufacturers a practical way to reverse that integrity at the end of life could help turn some of those expensive materials back into feedstock instead of waste.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Officials reversed the default and removed Hammond from the chair.
    Douglas Robson, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • There was the physician who analyzed the growth rate of his fingernails for 35 years and the geologist who looked into why his colleagues lick rocks.
    Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 4 Sep. 2026
  • An ancient Nazi scientist (Dan Stevens) crawling across a carpet to lick a woman’s stilettoed foot.
    Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • The crack when the punch landed sounded like a whip, splitting the air and bringing gasps from the crowd inside a ballroom at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
    Chris McKenna, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • The cabbage wedge sits over a fluffy whip of tahini and labneh, all served beneath a crush of peanuts.
    Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • The flap followed Carr’s call for stronger enforcement of the equal-time rule.
    Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026
  • The part that was chewed was the part that goes over your instep, a kind of flap or lip.
    Lydia Davis, New Yorker, 10 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Last month, Vance hurled himself into an obscure debate over burrito prices to make a gratuitous swipe at a conservative Washington Post columnist’s weight.
    Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2026
  • For those who take pride in their pouty lips (or their ability to talk their way out of just about anything), a swipe of lipstick and nothing else is a cool way to look put together without the hustle of actually putting yourself together.
    Loren Savini, Allure, 4 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Switch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/switch. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

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