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switch

noun
/swɪt͡ʃ/

Etymology

Perhaps from Middle Dutch swijch (“twig”), first attested in c. 1592. The mechanical device for altering the direction of something sense is first attested in c. 1797, pertaining to pivoted rails on minecart railways, which were once wooden.

  1. borrowed from swijch

Definitions

  1. A device to turn electric current on and off or direct its flow.

  2. A change or exchange.

    • After many complications and sudden switches of career and identity for all […] they end up selling out for fame and money, and leave the boardwalk for good.
    • This is a result of a switch from High Street to online retailing, requiring consumer goods to be delivered to the door from large-scale distribution parks that have sufficient traffic to justify a rail terminal.

  3. A movable section of railroad track which allows the train to be directed down one of two…

    A movable section of railroad track which allows the train to be directed down one of two destination tracks; (set of) points.

  4. ›+ 28 more definitions

    1. A long, slender woody plant stem or a flexible, thin rod used as a whip to administer…

      A long, slender woody plant stem or a flexible, thin rod used as a whip to administer corporal punishment in the United States.

      • Their mother would walk out into the yard and cut a switch from a tree and beat him—beat him, it seemed to Florence, until any other boy would have fallen down dead; […]
      • "A proper switch is a slim, flexible branch off a tree or a bush. A switch applied to the buttocks stings fiercely. It may leave red marks or bruises, but it causes no lasting damage.."

    2. Synonym of rute.

    3. A command line notation allowing specification of optional behavior.

      • Use the /b switch to specify black-and-white printing.

    4. A programming construct that takes different actions depending on the value of an…

      A programming construct that takes different actions depending on the value of an expression.

    5. A networking device connecting multiple wires, allowing them to communicate…

      A networking device connecting multiple wires, allowing them to communicate simultaneously, when possible. Compare to the less efficient hub device that solely duplicates network packets to each wire.

    6. A system of specialized relays, computer hardware, or other equipment which allows the…

      A system of specialized relays, computer hardware, or other equipment which allows the interconnection of a calling party's telephone line with any called party's line.

    7. A mechanism within DNA that activates or deactivates a gene.

    8. One who is willing to take either a submissive or a dominant role in a sexual…

      One who is willing to take either a submissive or a dominant role in a sexual relationship.

      • Ideally, if one of your ladies happens to be a switch (or would be willing to switch for this scene), I would love to be able to inflict a little "revenge tickling" as well, as part of a scenario.

    9. A separate mass or tress of hair, or of some substance (such as jute) made to resemble…

      A separate mass or tress of hair, or of some substance (such as jute) made to resemble hair, formerly worn on the head by women.

    10. A variant of crazy eights where one card, such as an ace, reverses the direction of play.

    11. Synonym of Glock switch.

    12. A play in which the ball (or equivalent) is moved from one side of the playing area to…

      A play in which the ball (or equivalent) is moved from one side of the playing area to the other.

    13. The process of the currently fronting headmate changing

      The process of the currently fronting headmate changing; an instance of this.

      • Switches only happen once every couple weeks for us, but they're quite sudden when they happen.

    14. To exchange.

      • I want to switch this red dress for a green one.

    15. To change (something) to the specified state using a switch.

      • Switch the light on.

    16. To whip or hit with a switch.

      • They were looking on the ground, absorbed in thought. The manager was switching his leg with a slender twig: his sagacious relative lifted his head.

    17. To change places, tasks, etc.

      • I want to switch to a different seat.

    18. To get angry suddenly

      To get angry suddenly; to quickly or unreasonably become enraged.

    19. To swing or whisk.

      • to switch a cane

    20. To be swung or whisked.

      • The angry cat's tail switched back and forth.

    21. To trim.

      • Switch and clip thorn and other deciduous hedges.

    22. To turn from one railway track to another

      To turn from one railway track to another; to transfer by a switch; generally with off, from, etc.

      • to switch off a train; to switch a car from one track to another

    23. To shift to another circuit.

    24. To take on the opposite role (leader vs. follower) in a partner dance.

      • Feel free to ask her to follow, lead, or switch!

    25. To move (the ball or equivalent) from one side of the playing area to the other.

    26. Pertaining to riding with the front and back feet swapped round compared to one's normal…

      Pertaining to riding with the front and back feet swapped round compared to one's normal position.

    27. Pertaining to skiing backwards.

    28. Ellipsis of Nintendo Switch.

      • Super Bomberman R was a launch title on the Switch.

The neighborhood

Derived

antenna switch, antiswitch, arrow switch, asleep at the switch, bait and switch, bait-and-switch, baroswitch, big red switch, big switch, bitch switch, blab-off switch, chicken switch, circuit switched, core switch, crossbar switch, dead man's switch, dimmer switch, dipswitch, DIP switch, double switch, footswitch, Glock switch, hat switch, hookswitch, hook switch, hot switch, intermediate switch, jackknife switch, keyswitch, mercury switch, microswitch, multiway switching, nanoswitch, nonswitch, on-off switch, optical switch, phosphoswitch, photoswitch, pickle switch, polyswitch · +71 more

Vish — recursive loop

A definitional loop anchored at switch. Each word in the ring is defined by the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself. Scroll to it and watch.

01switch02track03birds04bird05beaked06beak07turtles08gloves09glove10hit

A definitional loop anchored at switch. Each word in the ring appears in the definition of the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself.

10 hops · closes at switch

curated · pre-corpus. live cycle detection across the full graph is the next major milestone.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA