as in road
a route that has many sharp turns for climbing a steep hill
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Recent Examples of switchback
The lawyers said others pursuing the Grand Teton Fastest Known Time also cut out switchbacks using the Old Climber’s Trail.
—
Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 12 Nov. 2025
Within half a mile, my longtime friend Danny Sadleir and I were pushing our bikes up the rocky switchbacks leading away from the trail’s northern terminus at the Utah border to make our way south up Buckskin Mountain toward the Kaibab Plateau.
—Joan Meiners, AZCentral.com, 20 Oct. 2025
In June, it was announced that the festival’s colorful founder, Jean-Pierre Blanc, would step down amid a saga that unspooled with as many twists and turns as the switchback road leading up to the villa.
—Vogue, 20 Oct. 2025
After paying a three-euro (about $3) gate fee at the park’s entrance, visitors then face another 10-minute ride further into the pine and gorse-clad hills along a switchback road that reaches about 1,000 meters above sea level.
—Barry Neild, CNN Money, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for switchback
Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 12 Nov. 2025
Within half a mile, my longtime friend Danny Sadleir and I were pushing our bikes up the rocky switchbacks leading away from the trail’s northern terminus at the Utah border to make our way south up Buckskin Mountain toward the Kaibab Plateau.
—Joan Meiners, AZCentral.com, 20 Oct. 2025
In June, it was announced that the festival’s colorful founder, Jean-Pierre Blanc, would step down amid a saga that unspooled with as many twists and turns as the switchback road leading up to the villa.
—Vogue, 20 Oct. 2025
After paying a three-euro (about $3) gate fee at the park’s entrance, visitors then face another 10-minute ride further into the pine and gorse-clad hills along a switchback road that reaches about 1,000 meters above sea level.
—Barry Neild, CNN Money, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for switchback
Recent Examples of Synonyms for switchback
Noun
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At peak periods, the lookout has drawn thousands of people a day, overwhelming narrow access roads and limited parking facilities.—
Trista Kurniawan,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
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The Hogs never trailed in their second straight road win.—
Matt Byrne,
Arkansas Online,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Lamont, who tried unsuccessfully to convince legislators in 2019 and 2020 to approve electronic tolling on state highways, warned in November that Connecticut might need to curb borrowing for highway, bridge and rail repairs.—
John Moritz,
Hartford Courant,
5 Feb. 2026
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Many of those original roads have faded away, swallowed by high-speed highways or erased by suburban expansion.—
Josh Jackson,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Later on Monday, Croft recalled seeing a large tent standing in the middle of the roadway while numerous law enforcement officers investigated the scene.—
Jakob Rodgers,
Mercury News,
11 Feb. 2026
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Emergency crews responded to the scene, and all southbound main lanes between Slaughter Lane and Onion Creek Parkway were closed while investigators worked to clear the roadway.—
Marley Malenfant,
Austin American Statesman,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
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In a first-of-its-kind event for NASCAR, all three national series will travel to Southern California and race on the streets of Naval Base Coronado, the island facility across the bay from downtown San Diego.—
Jeff Gluck,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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Oval holes in the walls once held lamps to light the street after dark.—
Maureen O'Hare,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The driver was dumping dirt into a nearby construction zone and left the trailer up while merging onto the freeway.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
6 Feb. 2026
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The 688 is likely to suffer from slow commute times due to the issues described above, as well as service disruption caused by frequent freeway crashes (35 crashes a day in our county in 2022).—
Chris Roberts,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Bass announced a new clean streets initiative to ‘accelerate beautification’ of major thoroughfares throughout the city.—
Noah Goldberg,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Feb. 2026
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The proposal for 1000 Silas Deane Highway in Wethersfield is the latest in a string of plans to convert the sprawling, 100,000-square-foot building for a use that reflects the town’s vision for creating more storefronts, restaurants and shops along a major thoroughfare in town.—
Kenneth R. Gosselin,
Hartford Courant,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Both turnpikes are currently classified as state highways, said Darian Butler, OTA engineering director.—
Barbara Hoberock,
Oklahoma Voice,
4 Feb. 2026
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Beyond the Luddites, rioters destroyed threshing machines in 1830, Welsh protesters tore down turnpike tollgates in the 1840s.—
Craig S. Smith,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Homicide data from the Illinois State Police, which patrols the city’s expressways, also is not included here.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Feb. 2026
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His victim was trying to cross the southbound lanes of the expressway when Blakney’s Chevrolet Suburban rammed into him.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
7 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Switchback.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/switchback. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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