switch

(swĭch)

a. An exchange or a swap, especially one done secretly.

b. A transference or shift, as of opinion or attention.

a. A device used to break or open an electric circuit or to divert current from one conductor to another.

b. A device consisting of two sections of railroad track and accompanying apparatus used to transfer rolling stock from one track to another.

a. A slender flexible rod, stick, or twig, especially one used for whipping.

b. The bushy tip of the tail of certain animals: a cow's switch.

c. A thick strand of real or synthetic hair used as part of a coiffure.

d. A flailing or lashing, as with a slender rod: gave the ox a switch.

v. switched, switch·ing, switch·es

v.tr.

a. To exchange: asked her brother to switch seats with her.

b. To shift, transfer, or divert: switched the conversation to a lighter subject.

a. To connect, disconnect, or divert (an electric current) by operating a switch.

b. To cause (an electric current or appliance) to begin or cease operation: switched the lights on and off.

c. Informal To produce as if by operating a control. Often used with on: switched on the charm.

3. To move (rolling stock) from one track to another; shunt.

a. To whip with a switch, especially in punishing a child.

b. To jerk or swish abruptly or sharply: a cat switching its tail.

v.intr.

1. To make or undergo a shift or an exchange: The office has switched to shorter summer hours.

2. To swish sharply from side to side.

Phrasal Verb:

switch off Informal

To stop paying attention; lose interest.

[Probably of Low German or Flemish origin.]

switch′a·ble adj.

switch′er n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

switching - the act of changing one thing or position for another; "his switch on abortion cost him the election"

shift, switch

change - the action of changing something; "the change of government had no impact on the economy"; "his change on abortion cost him the election"

switcheroo - a sudden unexpected switch

Translations

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Mentioned in

References in classic literature

Why, they say as how he went a sauntering into the old flag-ship once, switching his tail about devilish easy and gentlemanlike, and inquiring if the old governor was at home.

View in context

I stuck some wax into his keyhole as he was switching off the lights."

View in context

What patterns of code switching are used in an EFL classes?

The Functions of Code Switching in ESL Classrooms of Sindh University

Applications of optical switches in different areas, such as switching and routing of optical signal, optical network protection and restoration, optical network monitoring and others, is one of the important factors driving the optical switches market.

Optical Switches Market Revenue and Value Chain 2018 to 2028

Repair folks are the only ones supposed to be switching that switch.

Operating below E-level

Emulex Corporation, the industry's preeminent source for a broad range of advanced storage networking infrastructure solutions announced recently that NEC Corporation has implemented the award-winning Emulex InSpeed embedded storage switching technology into its new NEC iStorage S4900 Series of enterprise storage solutions.

NEC selects Emulex InSpeed for enterprise-level storage solutions

The technology evolution most responsible lot minimizing Ethernet's nondeterminism are the advanced switching technologies that let multiple devices simultaneously transmit and receive data over multiple network loops.

Industrial Ethernet: wiring the enterprise: rumors of Ethernet's demise on the factory floor, especially for control applications, are unfounded. What's more, wireless solutions are providing even more opportunity for this network technology

Ferrite switching networks have a wide variety of uses in commercial and military, space and terrestrial, and low and high power applications.

Miniaturized ferrite switch networks. (Product Feature)

military switches in Europe and one of the seven switches that make up the DISN-E switching backbone, the successor to the 1980's-era European Telephone System.

New switch beefs up DISN-E backbone

According to Richard Epstein, a Connecticut-based dentist, "While I believe that the studies disparaging silver amalgam are seriously flawed, the alternatives are effective enough to warrant switching. I now use gold and composite materials."

Heavy metal harm: the fight against highly toxic mercury in the environment has just begun

We do not know why this study did not find an association between development of lipoatrophy and particular antiretrovirals, while the three studies above had found that switching antiretrovirals could to some degree reverse lipoatrophy which had developed on the original treatment regimen (which would imply that some regimens are more responsible than others for the development of this condition).

Lipoatrophy and antiretroviral drug changes