switchback
switchback Lexical Profile
switchback Game Scores & Validity
• noun
North American A sharp, hairpin turn on a road, trail, or railway ascending a steep incline, or a zigzagging path composed of such turns.
"The hikers slowly ascended the steep series of switchbacks carved into the mountainside."
British A roller coaster at an amusement park, or a road featuring a series of steep ascents and descents.
"The children queued eagerly to ride the vintage wooden switchback at the seaside fair."
• adjective
Having sharp, alternating turns or a steep, undulating course.
"The cyclists prepared for a grueling climb up the switchback mountain road."
• verb
To move or follow a course in a series of sharp, alternating turns, especially up or down a steep slope.
"The narrow dirt trail switchbacks up the canyon wall to the overlook."
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in mid-19th-century American English as a compound of 'switch' and 'back', originally referring to a zigzag railway track designed to climb steep grades by reversing direction.