Definition of "switchback" []

• A road, trail, or railroad track that follows a zigzag course on a steep incline. (noun)
• A sharp bend in a road or trail on a steep incline. (noun)
• Chiefly British A roller coaster. (noun)
• To proceed in sharp turns in alternating directions on a steep incline: the trail switchbacked up the mountain; the hikers switchbacked up the hill. (verb-intransitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "– well, a mountain switchback bears about as much relation to the home-grown amusement-park variety as a stepmother to the real thing – on a switchback he was well-behaved."
• "My last bow before buying my switchback was a Hoyt."
• "What's up with the 'switchback' what kinda power do the Clintons have over his analsphincter tone?"