Thesaurus results for SWITCHBACKS

switchbacks

noun

plural of switchback

as in roads

a route that has many sharp turns for climbing a steep hill

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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 switchbacks The hike up alongside it is a 3-mile round trip with switchbacks and handrails at the steeper spots. — Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2026 Near the half-mile point, hikers are met with a handful of switchbacks that guide them up the mountain. — Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026 On uneven terrain, loose scree, muddy switchbacks, and stream crossings, reliable traction can make all the difference. — Gentry Hale, Travel + Leisure, 4 Aug. 2026 Cloud cover limited the helicopter to a lower drop point near 50/50 Flat, above the switchbacks, forcing rescuers to climb on foot to reach the injured woman. — James Ward, USA Today, 2 July 2026 From there, the itinerary continues toward Trollstigen, one of Norway’s most famous mountain roads, known for its steep switchbacks and waterfalls. — Emese MacZko, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026 Waymos are designed to take the fastest route, and eight switchbacks with tourists driving down in awe of San Francisco at 5mph will never be that. — Rakesh Agrawal, PC Magazine, 28 June 2026 Drivers needed a super-thin sole to feel the pedals, a rounded heel to pivot smoothly around sharp European switchbacks, and a tight suede fit. — Jessica Chapel, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 June 2026 The climb winds through cedar forest and switchbacks into remote Berber villages where the architecture grows out of the rock and days are timed to the sheep and the seasons. — Ritu Upadhyay, Footwear News, 23 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for switchbacks

Noun

Two people were killed in as many crashes on Arkansas roads on Friday, according to preliminary police reports.

— Rafael Escalera Montoto, Arkansas Online, 30 Sep. 2026
Rain was also developing near Key Largo, with slick roads possible during the morning commute.

— Lissette Gonzalez, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of roads

Noun

Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern cite 500-plus supportive customers, more than 2,000 filed statements, and backers including trucking giant Knight-Swift and a claim of 2 million fewer truckloads on highways.

— Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 24 Sep. 2026
For decades, the story has focused on population loss, empty storefronts, highways that divided neighborhoods and a downtown that too often goes quiet after work.

— Mark Taylor, Hartford Courant, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of highways

Noun

For years, Calderon as a friendly face in the streets, gas stations and grocery stores of the small Johnson County town.

— Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 1 Oct. 2026
The narrow streets around the sultan’s palace are filled with backpackers, street vendors, tour guides hawking their services, and office workers popping out for a coffee amid the madness.

— Lilit Marcus, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of streets

Noun

Suburbs stretch their undulating freeways into the grid, sucking out nutrients (and cutting through neighborhoods).

— Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
Major weekend closures and lane restrictions are set to hit several popular metro Phoenix freeways, and the Arizona Department of Transportation warned drivers to use detours as needed.

— Christian Cervantes, AZCentral.com, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of freeways

Noun

The massive project funded from 13 federal, state and local agencies, gives a glimpse of what’s to come for Long Beach thoroughfares.

— Barbara Kingsley-Wilson, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
Two years later, Wong became one of the key leaders of the city’s Umbrella Movement protests that rallied thousands of predominantly young people to the streets to call for greater democracy by blocking major thoroughfares for 79 straight days.

— Chris Lau, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of thoroughfares

Noun

As transportation networks expanded—first with canals and turnpikes, and later with railroads—rural isolation began to fade.

— Daryl Austin, USA Today, 21 May 2026
Both turnpikes are currently classified as state highways, said Darian Butler, OTA engineering director.

— Barbara Hoberock, Oklahoma Voice, 4 Feb. 2026

Definition of turnpikes

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switchback

switchbacks

switchblade

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“Switchbacks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/switchbacks. Accessed 3 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of switchbacks

noun

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