Switch on meaning
Switch on means to make a light or machine start working by pressing a button.
switch something on
switch on · switched · switching
Can you switch on the light? It’s dark in here.
Switch on meanings and examples
One meaning, each with its own CEFR level from Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries and the Cambridge Dictionary.
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1
Make a light or machine start working by pressing a button
switch something on
- Can you switch on the light? It’s dark in here.
- I switched my phone on after the flight.
- Don’t switch it on yet. It isn’t plugged in.
Café orders
New friends
At the airport
Slova
Use switch on in real conversations
- Learn new words with picture cards
- Talk with Felix, an AI tutor, about the things you love
- Short lessons at your level, a few minutes a day
Is switch on separable?
Switch on is separable: switch on the TV, switch the TV on. With a pronoun, it goes in the middle: switch it on, not switch on it.
Switch on and turn on mean the same for machines and lights. Switch on is more British; turn on is common everywhere and also works for taps.
Verb tenses for switch on
| Present | I switch on · she switches on |
|---|---|
| Past | switched on |
| Present perfect | have switched on |
| -ing form | switching on |
Common mistakes with switch on
What learners often say, and what to say instead.
Wrong: Where is the remote? I want to switch on it.
Right: Where is the remote? I want to switch it on.
A pronoun goes between switch and on.
Wrong: Can you open the light?
Right: Can you switch on the light?
In English you switch or turn on a light. You do not open it.
Wrong: Switch on the tap, please.
Right: Turn on the tap, please.
For taps and water, use turn on.
Synonyms and opposites of switch on
Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.
Similar
- turn onmeans the same; also used for taps and gas
- power ontechnical; start a computer or device
- start upstart a computer or engine
Switch on quiz
Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.
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1It’s cold. Shall I ___ the heating?
Switch on means make a machine start working.
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2Choose the right sentence.
Use switch on, and put the pronoun in the middle.
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3You walk into a dark room. What do you say?
Lights are switched on, not opened.
More phrasal verbs with switch
2 phrasal verbs start with switch. Test yourself on all of them in a few minutes.
Switch on FAQ
Questions people ask about switch on.
Switch on vs turn on: what is the difference?
For lights and machines they mean the same. Turn on is used more in US English and also for taps and gas. Switch on is common in UK English.
Can I say open the light?
No. Some languages say open, but in English you switch on or turn on a light, TV or computer.
Is switched on also an adjective?
Yes, informally a switched-on person is smart and knows what is happening. She’s very switched on.
Use switch on in real conversations
In Slova you learn new words with picture cards, then use them when you talk about the things you love. A few minutes a day, at your level.