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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.

Use "switchback" in a sentence
  • "– 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?"
Words like "switchback"