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
Democratic norms are not switches that can be flipped on and off at convenience. Rick Singh, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Jan. 2026 But nothing could have prepared us for her full-speed-ahead switch to the dark side of the hair-color spectrum. Marci Robin, Allure, 8 Jan. 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
  • The Los Angeles Police Department won't enforce a California directive banning federal immigration agents from wearing masks or hiding their faces while conducting operations in the state.
    Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 30 Jan. 2026
  • During the prohibition era, the cave used trap doors and movable brick walls to hide liquor from law enforcement.
    Paige Moore, AZCentral.com, 30 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
  • There were, like, broad clothing swipes, like, someone maybe was trying to destroy fingerprints.
    Sarah Prior, CBS News, 25 Jan. 2026
  • Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel greeted rookie Will Campbell in the tunnel on Sunday with a couple of slaps on the heart, a hearty pat on the back, and a swipe across the chin.
    Luca Evans, Denver Post, 23 Jan. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Switch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/switch. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.

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