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Glite Dictionary
🛣️ A zigzag road ↩️ To zigzag 🎢 A simple ride
switchback

switchback

6.3
An early amusement park ride like a short wooden roller coaster
  • noun
  • /ˈswɪtʃˌbæk/
  • Archaic
translation icon : montaña rusa
  • After waiting in line, we finally got on the switchback that twisted and turned wildly.

Examples

  • TAKE THIS ACTIVITY FURTHER! GO TO SCOPS ONLINE. Riders of the Switchback Railway (left) at New York's Coney Island in the late 1800s were perfectly thrilled by the coaster.

    Academic text (2011)

  • Enjoy the switchback ride down.

    Blog text (25)

  • It cost a nickel to ride the Switchback—a steep price at the time.

    Academic text (2011)

  • The children squealed with delight as they rode the switchback at the amusement park.

  • His favorite part of the amusement park was the thrilling switchback that looped around in sharp curves.

Synonyms

ride
vsswitchback
290 2.0

A machine at an amusement park that people sit on for fun

is a specific early short zigzag or downhill form rather than any general attraction
roller coaster
vsswitchback
42 1.6

A fast amusement park ride with steep slopes and sharp turns

is a smaller, earlier, simpler downhill zigzag attraction with milder speed
big dipper
vsswitchback
  • Archaic
5.6

A roller coaster at an amusement park with steep drops and sharp turns

is typically shorter and simpler, focused on zigzag downhill motion
chute-the-chute
vsswitchback
  • Archaic
9.9

A ride where a boat goes down a steep track and splashes into water

is a dry short zigzag railway rather than a water finale
scenic railway
vsswitchback
4.1

A small train ride in an amusement park that shows pleasant views

focuses on short downhill zigzag thrills rather than scenic viewing

How Exciting

wild ride
15 3.6
switchback
  • Archaic
6.3

Surface Forms

switchback singular
switchbacks plural

Morphology

switchback = switch + back (semi-transparent) = switch + back

The compound elements suggest reversing direction, but the amusement-ride meaning is a specialized extension of the basic 'zigzag' sense.

Etymology

Switchback was also the name given to early amusement rides where the cars ran on short zigzag tracks that 'switched back' at each turn. That's why a switchback can mean a simple old-style roller coaster or downhill ride with quick turns and drops.