switchback

[ 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)

1. (of a road, railroad track, etc.) to progress through a series of hairpin curves; zigzag:

   The road switchbacks up the mountain.

switchback

/ ˈswɪtʃˌbæk /

noun

1. a mountain road, railway, or track which rises and falls sharply many times or a sharp rise and fall on such a road, railway, or track
2. another word (esp Brit) for big dipper

Word History and Origins

Origin of switchback¹

An Americanism dating back to 1860–65; switch + back ²

Example Sentences

I waited with several other hikers before progressing, only to be stopped at the next switchback by an angry rattlesnake, mid-trail, tail in the air.

From Los Angeles Times

I considered all of this as I rounded the first switchback recently for the umpteenth time.

From Los Angeles Times

The start of the hike features most of the elevation gain, as you switchback through trees, but the undulating grade of this trail is manageable.

From Seattle Times

The change should help spread the field before it powers into the uphill switchback turn No. 1 that created so many crashes and restarts last year.

From Seattle Times

They found that the DNA formed switchback loops as it was pushed into the capsid, an important finding as it is similar to how DNA is organized in eukaryotic cells.

From Science Daily