switch on

English

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Verb

switch on (third-person singular simple present switches on, present participle switching on, simple past and past participle switched on)

  1. (transitive) To start or enable a device by turning a switch or a lever.
    Synonyms: start up, turn on
    Antonyms: shut off, switch off, turn off
    • 1926, Nevil Shute, chapter 1, in Marazan‎[1], London: Cassell, archived from the original on 16 February 2026:
      “ […] Tell her I’ll be outside the house from eleven o’clock onwards. Tell her to leave the morning-room window open and to switch on the light in her bedroom when it’s safe for me to come in.”
  2. (idiomatic) To change one's expression or appearance as if by turning a switch.
  3. (slang) To arouse, to excite (sexually).
    Synonyms: switch up, turn on
    Antonym: turn off

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