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switchback

 - 2 dictionary results

switch⋅back

[swich-bak]
–noun
1. a highway, as in a mountainous area, having many hairpin curves.
2. Railroads. a zigzag track arrangement for climbing a steep grade.
3. British. roller coaster.
–verb (used without object)
4. (of a road, railroad track, etc.) to progress through a series of hairpin curves; zigzag: The road switchbacks up the mountain.

Origin:
1860–65, Americanism; switch + back 2
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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switch·back   (swĭch'bāk')   
n.  
  1. A road, trail, or railroad track that follows a zigzag course on a steep incline.

  2. A sharp bend in a road or trail on a steep incline.

  3. Chiefly British A roller coaster.

intr.v.   switch·backed, switch·back·ing, switch·backs
To proceed in sharp turns in alternating directions on a steep incline: the trail switchbacked up the mountain; the hikers switchbacked up the hill.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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