toggle

English

WOTD – 16 October 2010

A toggle (sense 1)

A toggle (sense 2)

Etymology

Of uncertain origin. Possible alteration of tug (“to pull”) +‎ -le

Pronunciation

(UK) IPA^(key): /ˈtɒɡ.əl/
(US) IPA^(key): /ˈtɑ.ɡəl/
Audio (US): (file)
Audio (General Australian): (file)
Rhymes: -ɒɡəl

Noun

toggle (plural toggles)

(nautical) A wooden or metal pin, short rod, crosspiece or similar, fixed transversely in the eye of a rope or chain to be secured to any other loop, ring, or bight, e.g. a sea painter to a lifeboat.
(in particular, fashion) A rod-shaped button bound with slack to the fabric.
A toggle switch.
An appliance for transmitting force at right angles to its direction.
A horizontal piece of wood that is placed on a door, flat, or other wooden structure, but is not on one of the edges of the structure.
A fastener that has flaps that align vertically to penetrate a surface and then spread out to secure the fastener in position, e.g. a molly bolt.
- 1991, Kalton C. Lahue, Cheryl Smith, Interior Lighting, page 19:
  Hooks come with screws for use in plaster or wood and toggles for use in wallboard.
(skydiving) A loop of webbing or a dowel affixed to the end of the steering/brake lines of a parachute providing the pilot with a means of control.

Coordinate terms

frog

Derived terms

terms derived from toggle (noun)

Translations

pin, short rod or similar securing a loop in a rope or chain

Bulgarian: щифт (bg) m (štift), клин (bg) m (klin)
Czech: kloub (cs) m
Finnish: tappi (fi)
French: cabillot (fr) m
Hebrew: רוֹכֵס (he) m (rokhes), כְּפִיס רְכִיסָה (he) m (kfis rekhisah)
Italian: coccinello m, cavicchio (it) m
Ottoman Turkish: ماندال (mandal)
Spanish: cabilla (es) f

toggle switch — see toggle switch

Verb

toggle (third-person singular simple present toggles, present participle toggling, simple past and past participle toggled)

To alternate between two positions using a single switch or lever.
Clicking a button will alternately toggle its light on OR off.
To switch between alternate states.
toggle to lower/upper case

You can quickly toggle the case of selected text by pressing Alt+C.
- 2022 October 22, Maureen Dowd, “Ralph Fiennes, Master of Monsters”, in The New York Times‎^[1]:
  He’s that rare creature who’s equally powerful in the classics and popular fare, who’s dedicated to toggling between stage and screen. He is both prolific and enigmatic, disappearing into a dazzling range of characters.
(nautical, transitive) To fix like a toggle iron; to fix fast.

Derived terms

Translations

to alternate between two positions using a single switch or lever

Bulgarian: превключвам (prevključvam)
Catalan: commutar (ca), alternar (ca)
Czech: přepnout
Estonian: lülitama
Finnish: vaihdella (fi), vaihtaa (fi)
French: commuter (fr)
German: umschalten (de) nach (de), umschalten (de) auf (de), einschalten (de)
Indonesian: mengalihkan (id)
Polish: przełączać
Portuguese: alternar (pt)
Russian: переключа́ть (ru) impf (pereključátʹ), переключи́ть (ru) pf (pereključítʹ)
Spanish: alternar (es), conmutar (es)
Ukrainian: перемика́ти impf (peremykáty), перемкну́ти pf (peremknúty)

to switch between alternate states

Czech: přepnout
Estonian: vahetama
Finnish: vaihtaa (fi)
French: basculer (fr)
Maori: takahuri
Polish: przełączać
Portuguese: alternar (pt)
Russian: переключа́ть (ru) impf (pereključátʹ), переключи́ть (ru) pf (pereključítʹ)
Spanish: alternar (es), conmutar (es), trastrocar (es)
Ukrainian: перемика́ти impf (peremykáty), перемкну́ти pf (peremknúty)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Danish: ^{(please verify)} skifte (da)
Dutch: ^{(please verify)} schakelen (nl)
German: ^{(please verify)} umschalten (de), ^{(please verify)} hin- und herschalten
Romanian: ^{(please verify)} a alterna

References

“toggle”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Anagrams

goglet