(~es, ~ing, ~ed)
Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
A ~ is a small control for an electrical device which you use to turn the device on or off.
Leona put some detergent into the dishwasher, shut the door and pressed the ~.
...a light ~.
N-COUNT
2.
If you ~ to something different, for example to a different system, task, or subject of conversation, you change to it from what you were doing or saying before.
Estonia is ~ing to a market economy...
The law would encourage companies to ~ from coal to cleaner fuels...
The encouragement of a friend spurred Chris into ~ing jobs.
= change
VERB: V to n, V from n to n, V pl-n
•
Switch is also a noun.
New technology made a ~ to oil possible...
The spokesman implicitly condemned the United States policy ~.
N-COUNT: usu with supp
•
Switch over means the same as ~ .
...a professional man who started out in law but ~ed over to medicine.
PHRASAL VERB: V P to n
3.
If you ~ your attention from one thing to another or if your attention ~es, you stop paying attention to the first thing and start paying attention to the second.
My mother’s interest had ~ed to my health...
As the era wore on, she ~ed her attention to films.
VERB: V to n, V n to n
4.
If you ~ two things, you replace one with the other.
In half an hour, they’d ~ed the tags on every cable...
The ballot boxes have been ~ed.
= swap
VERB: V pl-n, V pl-n