switch·back
ˈswich-ˌbak 
: a zigzag road, trail, or section of railroad tracks for climbing a steep hill
switchback
adjective
switchbacked; switchbacking; switchbacks
: to follow a zigzag course especially for ascent or descent
a trail that switchbacks
Examples of switchback in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Erin Strout, Outside Online, 11 Nov. 2024
The road is primarily made of gravel and includes switchbacks and a speed limit of just 15 mph.
—Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 7 Oct. 2024
Outside Online, 23 Oct. 2024
Cable cars have become relatively regular modes of transport for residents of the mountainous northern region of Pakistan, where journeys along switchback roads climbing steep slopes or descending into deep valleys can take hours to cover just a few miles as the crow flies.
—Salman Masood, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2023
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Noun
No one who hurls their guts up the previous night would knowingly agree to ride in a 12-passenger van hugging the cliffside of this narrow two-lane road, navigating hairpin turns on switchbacks that drop more than 2,500 feet into Red Rock Country.
—Erin Strout, Outside Online, 11 Nov. 2024
The road is primarily made of gravel and includes switchbacks and a speed limit of just 15 mph.
—Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 7 Oct. 2024
Verb
In the middle of the Redwall switchbacks her skin went purple and her arms went limp.
—Outside Online, 23 Oct. 2024
Cable cars have become relatively regular modes of transport for residents of the mountainous northern region of Pakistan, where journeys along switchback roads climbing steep slopes or descending into deep valleys can take hours to cover just a few miles as the crow flies.
—Salman Masood, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2023
See all Example Sentences for switchback
Dictionary Entries Near switchback
Cite this Entry
“Switchback.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/switchback. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
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