switchblade

[ swich-bleyd ]
/ ˈswɪtʃˌbleɪd /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR switchblade ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a pocketknife, the blade of which is held by a spring and can be released suddenly, as by pressing a button.
Also called switchblade knife, switch knife.

Origin of switchblade

First recorded in 1905–10; switch + blade

Words nearby switchblade

switch-hit, switch-hitter, switch-off, switch-on, switchback, switchblade, switchboard, switched-on, switched-star, switcheroo, switchgear

Words related to switchblade

bayonet, dagger, blade, sword, skewer, machete, sickle, cutter, scalpel, pistol, bomb, gun, missile, cannon, rifle, ammunition, firearm, knife, shotgun, revolver

Example sentences from the Web for switchblade

  • After a moment he withdrew it, and fumbled in his leg pocket withdrawing a switchblade knife.

    First on the Moon |Jeff Sutton

  • The other two curs outa the same litter: Switchblade an' Turkey-Buzzard, over there.

    Lone Star Planet |Henry Beam Piper and John Joseph McGuire

  • The next day, Switchblade Joe Bonney came in to make payment on a note we were holding on him.

    Lone Star Planet |Henry Beam Piper and John Joseph McGuire

  • The switchblade snicked back and disappeared into a side pocket of the jacket, while Ord watched it with fascinated eyes.

    Remember the Alamo |R. R. Fehrenbach

British Dictionary definitions for switchblade

switchblade

switchblade knife

/ (ˈswɪtʃˌbleɪd) /

noun

US and Canadian a knife with a retractable blade that springs out when a button is pressed
Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): flick knife