What does toggle mean?
To toggle means to switch something between two states, especially an on-and-off or enabled-and-disabled setting. The word is common in descriptions of software, electronic devices, communication systems, and simple mechanical controls, as in “toggle the notification setting” or “a toggle switch.” Toggle can also mean to change back and forth between two positions or alternatives, although this use is less frequent. As a noun, a toggle is a small control, lever, or button used to make such a change; in computing, the term often refers specifically to a switch that alternates between two values. Its usefulness lies in its compactness: it captures the idea of a simple, reversible change without requiring the particular states to be named. The word is especially natural and precise in technical contexts but is also widely understood in everyday descriptions of switches and settings.
To switch something between two states, such as on and off, enabled and disabled, or open and closed; also, to change back and forth between two alternatives.
"You can toggle the feature on or off in the settings menu."
The transitive use is common in computing, electronics, and everyday descriptions of switches. The intransitive use, meaning to alternate between two states, is also established.
A small switch, lever, button, or control that changes between two states; also, the act of making such a switch.
"Press the toggle to activate the camera."
In computing, the word often denotes a control that alternates between two values, such as true and false.
The plural toggles is used for multiple switches, levers, buttons, or controls.
"The panel contains three toggles for the display settings."
One word can name both the action of flipping a setting and the little switch that does it: toggle.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does toggle come from?
The word appears in English in the 17th century in connection with turning or twisting, and its mechanical sense is associated with a small bar or lever used to operate a mechanism. The modern electronic and software senses developed from that idea of a two-state control: the same word names both the action of changing a setting and the control that performs it. The precise ultimate origin of the word is not securely established.
Related word forms
How toggle is actually used
In computing and electronics, toggle is standard technical terminology for a two-state control or operation. In general conversation, it can also mean to switch a setting or repeatedly alternate between two possibilities.
Easily confused with toggle
A toggle is a control that changes between two states, whereas a tangle is a complicated arrangement of intertwined or disordered things.