switchback
4
6.4
- noun
- /ˈswɪtʃˌbæk/
:
curva en zigzag
- We drove the switchbacks of White Bird Hill and, some miles later, the twisty turns of Lewiston Grade.
- switchback trail
- switchback road
- series of switchbacks
It takes like a six hour drive through switchbacks to get to, I believe I've done that.
- It takes like a six hour drive through switchbacks to get to, I believe I've done that.
Examples
-
I turned the steering wheel slowly while negotiating a switchback.
Fiction book (1993) -
The tingling returned as the road unreeled, twisting and curving through the switchbacks.
Fiction book (1992) -
Then the switchback doubled a ridge and became a dirt path.
Fiction book (1996) -
Each darkened switchback on the road helped me stay awake throughout the night.
Academic text (2015) -
The road was a significant construction project, built over a 16 percent grade with ten switchbacks.
Academic text (2016) -
We are driving on gravel switchbacks down a mountain in the dark.
-
At the edge of the altiplano, the road turned into a series of switchbacks dug into the side of the mountain.
Fiction book (1999) -
We've been snaking up the mountain on a series of switchbacks.
Fiction book (1991) -
Coming down the steep, slick switchback, the air seems to be swarming with static electricity, and my father is yodeling.
Fiction book (2002) -
The hike was challenging due to the steep switchbacks that zigzagged up the mountain.
Synonyms
12
3.1
A line or path that turns sharply from side to side
1
3.7
A very sharp U-shaped turn on a steep mountain road
A sharp bend in a road on a very sloping hill that helps vehicles go up or down safely
How Winding
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Switchback comes from the two parts switch and back, meaning 'change direction' and 'back', because roads and tracks literally 'switch back' on themselves as they climb a steep hill. That's why a switchback is a road, path, or railway that makes sharp zigzag turns to go up or down a slope.