switching

verb

present participle of switch
1
as in swapping
to give up (something) and take something else in return switched the real grapes for fake ones switched the day of his flight from Thursday to Friday

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in flicking
to move from side to side or up and down with quick jerky motions cows lazily switching their tails and chewing their cud

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in hiding
to strike repeatedly with something long and thin or flexible switched the stagecoach horses to control the direction they took

Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in reversing
to change (as an opinion) to the contrary a politician who has switched his position on a number of issues

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in licking
to strike repeatedly the loose rigging switched the mast during the storm

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of switching He was recruited out of high school as a wide receiver before switching to defensive back, and his pass-catching background gives him an edge tracking the ball. — Connor Dullinger, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026 Physicists have found a way to stabilize a system without sensors or feedback, by switching between two instabilities at the right tempo. — Tejasri Gururaj, Interesting Engineering, 31 Aug. 2026 Chinese refiners, facing scarcer Iranian offers, have been switching toward Brazilian and Iraqi grades. — Güney Yıldız, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026 Going from producing my own shows all the time and being all on the same page and level to switching to TV, which is so hierarchical. — Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2026 Al-Deek says relief can come from a few different directions — hormone replacement therapy, switching to a different antidepressant, adjusting your dose or tapering off the medication altogether. — Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 28 Aug. 2026 Mayor Eric Johnson served as a Democrat in the Texas Legislature before switching parties following his reelection in 2023. — Steven Rosenbaum, CBS News, 27 Aug. 2026 Allow a hair dryer to cool down before switching attachments, since the end of the hair dryer can get very hot after use. — Bestreviews, Mercury News, 24 Aug. 2026 As such, getting rid of polio for good necessitates countries switching from the oral vaccine to the shot. — Eli Cahan, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for switching
  1. swapping
  2. flicking
  3. hiding
  4. reversing
  5. licking
  6. exchanging
  7. flapping
  8. whipping
Verb
  • Elite researchers are swapping between rival labs at dizzying speed.
    — Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The researchers believe that pigment manufacturing could benefit from swapping out artificial—and frequently toxic—materials for varying sizes and densities of pterin crystals.
    — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of swapping
Verb
  • The fire had engulfed the garage roof, with flames flicking nearby trees and threatening to spread beyond the garage.
    — Rob Moore, Mercury News, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Playing with the Chromatic is as simple as inserting a cartridge and flicking the power switch.
    — Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of flicking
Verb
  • The trio were found hiding in a ditch about 200 yards from where they were pulled over, according to the news release.
    — Daniel McFadin, Arkansas Online, 31 Aug. 2026
  • After six months of war, the deadlock has left the Islamic Republic bitterly divided, while its ultimate arbiter, Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, remains in hiding.
    — Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of hiding
Verb
  • Fatal overdoses declined from 3,056 in 2023 to 2,192 in 2024, reversing nearly a decade of increases.
    — Joel Teron, New York Daily News, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The Labor Department’s unemployment rate has been declining in recent months, reversing last year’s uptick, but an alternate measure tells a different story.
    — Jason Ma, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of reversing
Verb
  • One act featured two young women sitting on the stage and licking orange Popsicles (yes, that was the whole act).
    — Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Owners should also watch for licking that is sudden, persistent or severe enough to cause hair loss or skin damage.
    — Lauren Paige Richeson, USA Today, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of licking
Verb
  • Land exchanges are common elsewhere in the federal government, but exchanging National Park Service land for private development access is unusual, NOTUS reported, citing a former park service official.
    — Annie Palmer, CNBC, 29 Aug. 2026
  • First, the Huskies mixed it up with some marching band members on the practice field outside of Huskie Stadium, jumping in on a routine and exchanging fight songs, with the players chanting, clapping and pumping their fists during their version.
    — Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of exchanging
Verb
  • When the chute opened, Paper Cut thrashed across the arena until, at the sound of the buzzer, Jacobson launched himself off the animal and staggered away, his chaps flapping.
    — Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
  • The cast are clustered around a table of props and despite her disappointment at the lack of hag wigs, Dale Dickey is flapping a fishing net like a seafaring matador.
    — Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of flapping
Verb
  • Whisk with ¾ cup whole milk and use in any sweet recipe that doesn’t require whipping.
    — Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Aug. 2026
  • At the landing zone, with bullets whipping and cracking around them, Capers—barely clinging to consciousness—refused to board the helicopter until every last man, and his dog’s body, was aboard.
    — Ethan Rocke, Charlotte Observer, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of whipping

Browse Nearby Words

switches
switching
switch knife
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Cite this Entry

“Switching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/switching. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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