A device featuring one common terminal and two traveler terminals, lacking standard on and off markings. By installing two of these in a circuit, a user can toggle a light from either end of a hallway or staircase. Flipping either toggle shifts the current path between the two traveler wires, making or breaking the circuit.
Heard on the job
Grab a three-way switch for the bottom of the stairs so they can turn off the hall light before going up.
Also heard as
- three-way
Do not mix it up with
- Two-way switch: A three-way switch in North America is called a two-way switch in the UK, causing massive confusion across regions.
Related terms
Traveler
One of the two conductors run between three-way switches, carrying power on whichever path is selected.
Switch leg
Conductor that carries switched power from a switch to the light or load it controls.
Intermediate switch
A four-terminal switch used between two three-way switches to control a light from three or more locations.