kill switch
Americannoun
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a button, switch, or other mechanism that allows a machine to be shut down immediately.
Only use the kill switch in emergencies.
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Digital Technology. a command deployed to remotely lock, disable, or wipe an electronic device, as when the device is lost or stolen.
Etymology
Origin of kill switch
First recorded in 1950–60
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Hence the one-year timeline for a kill switch should the bubble burst sooner than the stakeholders anticipate.
From Slate • Apr. 16, 2026
The agent managed to rewrite its own code to avoid the kill switch, then posted about the blocking.
From Slate • Apr. 1, 2026
Surfshark includes a reliable kill switch that blocks traffic if the VPN disconnects, and, like NordVPN, it uses RAM-only servers and offers DNS leak protection.
From Salon • Mar. 27, 2026
You, of course, get the obligatory in-tunnel DNS servers along with a kill switch to prevent data leaks.
From Salon • Mar. 27, 2026
The other dropcop hit the kill switch that opened my WarDoor, and the last two dropcops rushed in, followed by Wilson the suit.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
