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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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
Moving out are Dymally and Fremont, which will be switching to the Metro and Exposition leagues. Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2026 Martinko recommends hanging a paper calendar on your wall, switching to a paper planner, and writing out grocery lists and meal plans in lieu of turning to your digital device. Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 8 Feb. 2026
Noun
Light switches, which have been self-explanatory since the dawn of electric lighting, apparently now come as an unlabeled multibutton panel that literally required a tutorial session from a technician. Jason Fried, The Atlantic, 7 Feb. 2026 Several customers, a Miami-Dade judge and now the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services say Thompson’s a fraudulent, bait-and-switch extortionist. David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 6 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for switch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for switch
Verb
  • The two sides agreed to swap 314 prisoners in the first such exchange in five months, Steve Witkoff said in a post on X on Thursday.
    DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE STAFF FROM WIRE REPORTS, Arkansas Online, 6 Feb. 2026
  • Will more Charlotte travelers swap airport lots for ride shares?
    Chase Jordan February 6, Charlotte Observer, 6 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • The day Hanceville’s police department was eliminated, a switch was flicked in a dispatch center at the county sheriff’s office in Cullman.
    Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 7 Feb. 2026
  • As a director, his credits include A Family Man starring Gerard Butler, as well as the Liam Neeson flicks Honest Thief and Blacklight.
    Matt Grobar, Deadline, 5 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • That’s why scrolling by date and scrubbing through videos still works — search hides uncertainty, scrolling shows everything.
    Ken Colburn, AZCentral.com, 8 Feb. 2026
  • Days after federal agents arrested the Ecuadorian mother hiding under a trailer on a snowy Minneapolis street, White House border czar Tom Homan said 700 federal law enforcement personnel will be withdrawn from the state.
    Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 8 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Analysts cautioned that markets may be over-interpreting diplomatic signals that could quickly reverse.
    Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 5 Feb. 2026
  • That happened recently in Kansas City – where voters rejected a new stadium – and Philadelphia, where the team reversed its decision to build the arena near the city’s Chinatown.
    Gidon Jakar, The Conversation, 5 Feb. 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
  • In the video, Imhof stands alone at the ocean’s edge, repeatedly striking the water with a whip.
    Will Fenstermaker, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
  • In this case, that meant channeling Looney Tunes (hence the sticks of dynamite), using Wes Anderson-style whip pans, and having Big Poe run Saint Chroma over with his car.
    Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 2 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • An abrasion-resistant Cordura overlay covers the shoulders, hood and upper sleeves for extra durability, and an extra layer of synthetic down in the yoke, upper sleeves, and draft flap improve heat retention.
    Graham Averill, Outside, 4 Feb. 2026
  • To clean your garbage disposal, Lane suggests starting by cleaning the rubber flaps by using dish soap and a brush or an old toothbrush to scrub the rubber flaps that line the disposal.
    Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 4 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • The company's rival Anthropic unveiled its first Super Bowl campaign, taking a not-so-subtle swipe at OpenAI's recent decision to begin testing ads within ChatGPT.
    Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 6 Feb. 2026
  • And, the higher the credit card rate climbs, the more every swipe costs — not just today, but far into the future.
    Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 6 Feb. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Switch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/switch. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.

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