switch

Study(36)

/swɪt͡ʃ/

noun 6verb 5adj 2

Collocations

(noun.) small button/lever

ADJ

mains, master, power

You need to find the master switch to turn off all the lights in the house.

electric, electrical

dimmer, off, on, on-off, time, timer

She turned the dimmer switch down to create a relaxing atmosphere in the living room.

ignition, intercom, light

VERB + SWITCH

flick, flip, press, pull, throw, turn off/on

I flicked the light switch and the bedroom became dark.

SWITCH + VERB

activate sth, control sth, operate sth

You need to flip that switch to activate the alarm system before you leave.

PREP

by (a) ~

The security system can be controlled by a switch near the front door.

on a ~

The bedroom light is controlled on a switch by the door.

~ for

I couldn't find the switch for the bedroom light, so I used my phone's flashlight instead.

PHRASES

at the flick of a switch

Modern homes have lighting and heating available at the flick of a switch.

a bank of switches

The electrician pointed to the bank of switches controlling all the lights in the building.

(noun.) change that sb makes

ADJ

abrupt, immediate, sudden | big | complete

tactical

The coach decided on a tactical switch by moving the striker to midfield during the second half.

VERB + SWITCH

make

PREP

~ away from

Companies are gradually making a switch away from plastic packaging to more sustainable materials.

~ back to, ~ between

We switched back to our old internet provider after the new one kept having problems.

~ from

After graduating, he made a switch from engineering to teaching because he wanted to help students.

~ in

The company made a sudden switch in strategy after the new CEO arrived.

~ (over) to

Many people switched over to online banking during the pandemic.

(verb.)

ADV

easily, readily

suddenly

The lights suddenly switched off when the storm hit the neighborhood.

around/round, back, over

VERB + SWITCH

decide to

After trying that method for weeks, she decided to switch careers and became a teacher instead.

PREP

between

During the meeting, the manager kept switching between different topics without finishing any discussion.

(away) from

She switched away from coffee to tea after her doctor's advice about caffeine.

to, with

My brother switched to a different phone company last month because the prices were better.

Definitions

noun

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

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.

Wenger sent on Cesc Fabregas and Van Persie to try to finish Leeds off and with 14 minutes left the switch paid off as the Spaniard sent Bendtner away down the right and his wonderful curling cross was headed in by Van Persie at the far post.

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

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.."

Synonym of rute.

verb

To exchange.

A “moving platform” scheme[…]is more technologically ambitious than maglev trains even though it relies on conventional rails. Local trains would use side-by-side rails to roll alongside intercity trains and allow passengers to switch trains by stepping through docking bays.

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

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

Switch the light on.

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.

To change places, tasks, etc.

I want to switch to a different seat.

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

adj

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

Pertaining to skiing backwards.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

noun — the act of changing one thing or position for another

noun — an event in which one thing is substituted for another

verb — reverse (a direction, attitude, or course of action)

verb — change over, change around, as to a new order or sequence

exchange

verb — make a shift in or exchange of

shift

verb — lay aside, abandon, or leave for another

verb — cause to go on or to be engaged or set in operation

verb — exchange or give (something) in exchange for

Antonyms

Idioms & Phrases

switch off

To stop or disable a device by turning a switch or a lever.

To switch off the instrument when the clockwork is not wound up, and to remind the subscriber of doing so, there is provided an indicator, x, which is worked in the following manne

switch on

To start or enable a device by turning a switch or a lever.

asleep at the switch

Neglectful of an important task, responsibility, or opportunity.

His vote demonstrates that the people of Philadelphia are not asleep at the switch, are not indifferent to their political duties.

sleeping at the switch

Alternative form of asleep at the switch.

Example Bank

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.

Wiktionary

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 ra

Wiktionary

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

Wiktionary

Switch the light on.

Wiktionary

Usage Notes

i Register

In some senses, switch is marked as slang, US. Watch for register when choosing this word.

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