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
Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 31 May 2025
This eight-mile round trip hike starts in a sitka spruce forest on boardwalks before hitting switchbacks down to the beach itself.
—Graham Averill, Outside Online, 29 May 2025
Corey Buhay, Outside Online, 1 Apr. 2025
In the middle of the Redwall switchbacks her skin went purple and her arms went limp.
—Outside Online, 23 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for switchback
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Noun
The conveyor belt immediately whisked the child behind the wall and down a switchback labyrinth of belts moving bags throughout the terminal.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 31 May 2025
This eight-mile round trip hike starts in a sitka spruce forest on boardwalks before hitting switchbacks down to the beach itself.
—Graham Averill, Outside Online, 29 May 2025
Verb
Start at the peak’s eponymous trailhead and switchback straight up to the iconic summit.
—Corey Buhay, Outside Online, 1 Apr. 2025
In the middle of the Redwall switchbacks her skin went purple and her arms went limp.
—Outside Online, 23 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for switchback
Cite this Entry
“Switchback.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/switchback. Accessed 15 Jun. 2025.
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