Antonyms for switch


Grammar : Noun, verb
Spell : swich
Phonetic Transcription : swɪtʃ


Definition of switch

Origin :
  • 1590s, "slender riding whip," probably from a Flemish or Low German word akin to Hanoverian swutsche, a variant of Low German zwukse "long thin stick, switch," from Germanic base *swih- (cf. Old High German zwec "wooden peg," German Zweck "aim, design," originally "peg as a target," Zwick "wooden peg"), perhaps connected with PIE root *swei- "to swing, bend, to turn."
  • The meaning "device for changing the direction of something or making or breaking a connection" is first recorded 1797. "The peg sense suits the mech(anical) applications" [Weekley], and these senses may be a direct borrowing from those senses in Continental Germanic languages rather than a continuation of the "pliant wand" sense. The meaning "a change, a reversal, an exchange, a substitution" is first recorded 1920.
  • noun change, exchange
  • verb change, exchange
Example sentences :
  • Caradoc reached for it, followed it with his hand and presently turned a switch.
  • Extract from : « The Cruise of the Dry Dock » by T. S. Stribling
  • Then, when he was satisfied that everything was ready, he reversed the switch.
  • Extract from : « Pirates of the Gorm » by Nat Schachner
  • As he pulled out the switch, the aeronaut gave a glance at the apparatus.
  • Extract from : « Tom Swift and his Electric Runabout » by Victor Appleton
  • Governor Drake sprang to switch it on, and tried to explain to Smithy as he did so.
  • Extract from : « Two Thousand Miles Below » by Charles Willard Diffin
  • Then, as abruptly as light goes on when a switch is thrown, the noise vanished.
  • Extract from : « Happy Ending » by Fredric Brown
  • Sutter was about to switch on the set when the door buzzer sounded.
  • Extract from : « Made in Tanganyika » by Carl Richard Jacobi
  • Each of the Russians closed a switch on the knapsack which he wore.
  • Extract from : « Poisoned Air » by Sterner St. Paul Meek
  • Then, as if trying to switch of his mood, she changes the subject abruptly.
  • Extract from : « The Eldest Son (Second Series Plays) » by John Galsworthy
  • The locks open automatically and let the car into the ocean when it strikes the switch.
  • Extract from : « The Heads of Apex » by Francis Flagg
  • Start — When this switch is operated, the computer will start.
  • Extract from : « Preliminary Specifications: Programmed Data Processor Model Three (PDP-3) » by Digital Equipment Corporation

Synonyms for switch

Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019