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# switch

«switch» in Mova's school dictionary: **a small button or lever that turns a light or a machine…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (a switch, switches); verb (switch, switches, switched, switching)

### meaning for a pupil

1) A switch is a small button or lever that turns a light or a machine on or off. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/switch/#m1)

2) To switch is to change one thing for another, or to swap. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/switch/#m2)

3) To switch on or switch off is to start or stop a light or machine. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/switch/#m3)

4) A switch is a sudden change, like a switch from rain to sun. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/switch/#m4)

5) A switch is also a thin, bendy stick or twig, and to switch someone is to hit them with one. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/switch/#m5)

### sense in the lessons

switches on a wall are counted; to switch is to change places or to swap things, so amounts move between people; in everyday life and safety: switch off lights to save energy, never touch a switch with wet hands; in science a switch opens or closes an electric circuit; phrases: «switch on», «switch off», «switch places», «switch sides»

### examples

- Each room has 2 light switches. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/switch/#x1)
- They switch seats. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/switch/#x2)
- Tom switches 3 of his cards for 3 of Ben's. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/switch/#x3)
- She switches the lamp off. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/switch/#x4)
- Please switch off the lights when you leave the room. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/switch/#x5)
- In the circuit, the bulb lights up when the switch is closed. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/switch/#x6)
- The team switched sides at half-time. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/switch/#x7)
- Dry your hands before you touch a switch. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/switch/#x8)
- He switched from football to swimming this year. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/switch/#x9)
- Aboo!” and at the same time he switched the naked baby with a thorny wild-rose bush. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/switch/#x10)

### note

A swap of equal numbers keeps each total the same. Trap: switching places changes positions, not how many. Plural: switches. In science: a closed switch lets the current flow (bulb on); an open switch stops it. «Switch on/off» = «turn on/off».

### In the corpora

- [Grown-ups worry about it too, and sometimes they switch it off to protect you and themselves.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/32-bad-news-protests-and-helping-others/1/)
- [Parents may switch off the news to protect children from scary pictures, and they worry about it themselves.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/32-bad-news-protests-and-helping-others/10/)
- [Adults sometimes switch off heavy news to take a break from it, because too much bad news makes anyone gloomy.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/34-when-grown-ups-are-tired-or-worried/19/)
- [Switching off or walking away as soon as you see an 18 is always allowed, even at someone else's house.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/58-landing-on-an-18-film-by-accident/20/)
- [Mum switches the telly off, sits down and pulls her in.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/59-the-parents-walk-in-how-good-parents-react/6/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «switch» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/switch/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.