Switch

Switch

Our Definition

a person who will engage in dominant and submissive behavior non-exclusively; can be used to refer to someone who feels an intrinsic need to perform both dominance and submission; can be used to refer to someone who typically identifies with one role but under certain circumstances performs the other.

Often confused with “Versatile, aka Verse” which is a sometimes overlapping, but separate concept. These terms both describe the center of a spectrum. Switches are open to variation of power exchange dynamic in the Dominance-Switch-Submissive spectrum, whereas Verses are willing to be the party either giving or receiving sensation in the Top-Verse-Bottom spectrum.

Common Practices & Experiences

Everyone is different! You'll see this repeated throughout our website and glossary. Common practices for switches include, but certainly aren't limited to:
  • Having a preference or natural inclination for either dominance or submission. 
  • Having no preference and enjoying both sides of power exchange equally. 
  • Not being very invested in power exchange and centering your identity around other factors.

Brenda is most naturally inclined towards submission, but she would be willing to be dominant in certain scenarios with certain people.

Charlie feels a need to perform both dominance and submission, so he needs to partner with compatible switches, or else play with multiple partners in order to get his needs met.

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Real Life Examples

We're gathering short anecdotes on this topic from experienced kinksters!
If you'd like to be quoted in our glossary, please email us a single paragraph describing the practices you'd like to share, along with whatever name you'd like to be credited with.
If your definition differs from ours, tell us how and why! We want to illustrate as many sides of kink as we can to both normalize kink and the diversity within it.

Recent Glossary Entries

Switch
Orientation
BDSM
Praise
Dynamics
Bondage
Funishment

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