switch vs tap

switch

noun
  • A device to turn electric current on and off or direct its flow. 

  • A system of specialized relays, computer hardware, or other equipment which allows the interconnection of a calling party's telephone line with any called party's line. 

  • A variant of crazy eights where one card, such as an ace, reverses the direction of play. 

  • A separate mass or tress of hair, or of some substance (such as jute) made to resemble hair, formerly worn on the head by women. 

  • A command line notation allowing specification of optional behavior. 

  • Synonym of rute. 

  • A movable section of railroad track which allows the train to be directed down one of two destination tracks; (set of) points. 

  • A mechanism within DNA that activates or deactivates a gene. 

  • A change or exchange. 

  • One who is willing to take either a submissive or a dominant role in a sexual relationship. 

  • A networking device connecting multiple wires, allowing them to communicate simultaneously, when possible. Compare to the less efficient hub device that solely duplicates network packets to each wire. 

  • A slender woody plant stem used as a whip; a thin, flexible rod, associated with corporal punishment in the United States. 

  • A programming construct that takes different actions depending on the value of an expression. 

adj
  • Pertaining to skiing backwards. 

  • Pertaining to riding with the front and back feet swapped round compared to one's normal position. 

verb
  • To trim. 

  • To change places, tasks, etc. 

  • To take on the opposite role (leader vs. follower) in a partner dance. 

  • To exchange. 

  • To swing or whisk. 

  • To get angry suddenly; to quickly or unreasonably become enraged. 

  • To change (something) to the specified state using a switch. 

  • To be swung or whisked. 

  • To turn from one railway track to another; to transfer by a switch; generally with off, from, etc. 

  • To whip or hit with a switch. 

  • To shift to another circuit. 

tap

noun
  • A connection made to an electrical or fluid conductor without breaking it. 

  • A device used to dispense liquids. 

  • A device used to listen in secretly on telephone calls. 

  • A consonant sound made by a single muscle contraction, such as the sound [ɾ] in the standard American English pronunciation of body. 

  • An interception of communication by authority. 

  • A tapering cylindrical pin or peg used to stop the vent in a cask. 

  • A device used to cut an internal screw thread. (External screw threads are cut with a die.) 

  • The situation where a borrowing government authority issues bonds over a period of time, usually at a fixed price, with volumes sold on a particular day dependent on market conditions. 

  • A gentle or slight blow; a light rap; a pat. 

  • A piece of leather fastened upon the bottom of a boot or shoe in repairing or renewing the sole or heel. 

  • A place where liquor is drawn for drinking. 

  • A signal, by drum or trumpet, for extinguishing all lights in soldiers' quarters and retiring to bed; usually given about a quarter of an hour after tattoo. 

  • Liquor drawn through a tap; hence, a certain kind or quality of liquor. 

  • A procedure that removes fluid from a body cavity. 

  • An Indian malarial fever. 

  • The act of touching a touch screen. 

verb
  • To operate an electronic device (e.g. a mobile phone) by tapping a specific place on its (capacitive or other) touch screen. 

  • To draw off liquid from a vessel. 

  • To drain off fluid by paracentesis. 

  • To have sexual intercourse with. 

  • To put a new sole or heel on. 

  • To place a listening or recording device on a telephone or wired connection. 

  • To designate for some duty or for membership, as in 'a tap on the shoulder'. 

  • To touch one's finger, foot, or other body parts on a surface (usually) repeatedly. 

  • To deplete, especially of a liquid via a tap; to tap out. 

  • To furnish with taps. 

  • To exploit. 

  • To cadge, borrow or beg. 

  • To turn or flip a card or playing piece to remind players that it has already been used that turn (by analogy to "tapping," in the sense of drawing on to the point of temporary exhaustion, the resources or abilities represented by the card). 

  • To submit to an opponent by tapping one's hand repeatedly. 

  • To strike lightly. 

  • To advance someone for a post or job, or for membership of a club. 

  • To cut an internal screw thread. 

  • To make a sharp noise. 

  • To intercept a communication without authority. 

  • To force (an opponent) to submit. 

How often have the words switch and tap occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )