switchboard

[ swich-bawrd, -bohrd ]
See synonyms for switchboard on Thesaurus.com
nounElectricity.
  1. a structural unit on which are mounted switches and instruments necessary to complete telephone circuits manually.

  2. Also called lightboard. a panel of switches, dimmers, etc., for controlling the lighting on a stage or in an auditorium.

Origin of switchboard

1
An Americanism dating back to 1870–75; switch + board

Words Nearby switchboard

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use switchboard in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for switchboard

switchboard

/ (ˈswɪtʃˌbɔːd) /


noun
  1. an installation in a telephone exchange, office, hotel, etc, at which the interconnection of telephone lines is manually controlled

  2. an assembly of switchgear for the control of power supplies in an installation or building

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012