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
Our next system arrives late Wednesday, bringing rain and then switching to a wet snow that could accumulate into Thursday. Joseph Dames, CBS News, 30 Mar. 2026 Originally supposed to fly Sierra Space Dream Chaser test flight, but payload switched to an inert mass simulator because of potential Dream Chaser delays beyond October launch date. Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Mar. 2026
Noun
And that really was like a switch going off. Emily Trainham, FOXNews.com, 28 Mar. 2026 The series’ first real twist is that the paranoid conspiracy Rachel imagines is in fact a bait-and-switch for what’s going on here. Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 27 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for switch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for switch
Verb
  • Another surgery swapped out her breast implants to erase her shoulder pain in 2022, Dishell said, but doctors warned her then that her other pain was unlikely to improve.
    Brett Kelman, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2026
  • While strawberry shortcakes are usually made with biscuits, this recipe swaps them for tender little cakes baked in muffin tins.
    Victoria Spencer, Martha Stewart, 3 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • England needed a set piece to score when Cole Palmer’s corner was flicked on at the near post and White rolled the ball over the line.
    Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2026
  • In overtime, Fillier received a centering pass from Maja Nylén Persson and flicked it over the glove of Maddie Rooney for her seventh goal in the last six games.
    ABC News, ABC News, 1 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Senior Assistant County Attorney Bryan Schmid argued in court filings that Scott failed to show the law is unconstitutional and suggested that Scott could create his website and post his videos with redactions to hide the personal information in the clips.
    Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 4 Apr. 2026
  • Check and uncheck the boxes next each candidate to show/hide their responses.
    Dallas Morning News, Dallas Morning News, 4 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • An Alabama court sided with the birth centers last year, but an appeals court reversed the decision in January.
    Aria Bendix, NBC news, 2 Apr. 2026
  • Shortly after his 19-minute speech, Asian markets reversed earlier gains from Thursday's session, as benchmarks in Australia, Japan and South Korea fell.
    Lim Hui Jie,Anniek Bao,Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 2 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Five caribou stood licking at the stain.
    Frank Glaser, Outdoor Life, 1 Apr. 2026
  • The department shared photos of Ziggy, still wearing a bandage on his left hind leg, jumping up and licking Spring's face during a recent visit.
    Neal Riley, CBS News, 26 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Armed with a whip and possibly a dagger, she is also depicted chasing the leopard.
    Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 1 Apr. 2026
  • His tail whips against the stalks of flowers planted by the woman who recently moved there with him.
    María Ospina, The Dial, 31 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • The pouch—or marsupium, from which the group takes its name—is a flap of skin covering the nipples.
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026
  • An acolyte of Matthieu Blazy’s Chanel, Jenner swapped her litany of unbranded bags for a burgundy maxi flap bag from the designer’s spring 2026 debut.
    Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 2 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • For years, now, we have been forced to tap, swipe, and scan in an outdated infrastructure, built for a pre-intelligent era.
    Alex Israel, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2026
  • Or worse, consequential decisions are often made not by Congress, but with the swipe of a president’s pen.
    Matt Fleming, Oc Register, 3 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Switch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/switch. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.

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