View synonyms for exchange

exchange

[ iks-cheynj ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

verb (used with object)

exchanged, exchanging.

to give up (something) for something else; part with for some equivalent; change for another.
Synonyms: swap, trade, barter, commute, interchange
to replace (returned merchandise) with an equivalent or something else:
Most stores will allow the purchaser to exchange goods.
to give and receive reciprocally; interchange:
to exchange blows; to exchange gifts.
to part with in return for some equivalent; transfer for a recompense; barter:
to exchange goods with foreign countries.
Chess. to capture (an enemy piece) in return for a capture by the opponent generally of pieces of equal value.

verb (used without object)

exchanged, exchanging.

to make an exchange; engage in bartering, replacing, or substituting one thing for another.
to pass or be taken in exchange or as an equivalent.

noun

the act, process, or an instance of exchanging:
The contesting nations arranged for an exchange of prisoners; money in exchange for services.
Synonyms: barter, commerce, business, traffic, trade, interchange
something that is given or received in exchange or substitution for something else:
The car was a fair exchange.
a place for buying and selling commodities, securities, etc., typically open only to members.
Synonyms: market
a central office or central station:
a telephone exchange.
the method or system by which debits and credits in different places are settled without the actual transfer of money, by means of bills of exchange representing money values.
the discharge of obligations in different places by the transfer of credits.
the amount or percentage charged for exchanging money, collecting a draft, etc.
the reciprocal transfer of equivalent sums of money, as in the currencies of two different countries.
the giving or receiving of a sum of money in one place for a bill ordering the payment of an equivalent sum in another.
exchange rate.
the amount of the difference in value between two or more currencies, or between the values of the same currency at two or more places.
the checks, drafts, etc., exchanged at a clearinghouse.
Chess. a reciprocal capture of pieces of equivalent value by opponents in a single series of moves.

exchange

/ ɪksˈtʃeɪndʒ /

verb

tr to give up, part with, or transfer (one thing) for an equivalent
to exchange francs for dollars
to exchange gifts
tr to give and receive (information, ideas, etc); interchange
tr to replace (one thing) with another, esp to replace unsatisfactory goods
to transfer or hand over (goods) in return for the equivalent value in kind rather than in money; barter; trade
tr chess to capture and surrender (pieces, usually of the same value) in a single sequence of moves

noun

the act or process of exchanging
1. anything given or received as an equivalent, replacement, or substitute for something else
2. ( as modifier )
  an exchange student
an argument or quarrel; altercation
the two men had a bitter exchange
Also calledtelephone exchange a switching centre in which telephone lines are interconnected
1. a place where securities or commodities are sold, bought, or traded, esp by brokers or merchants
  a stock exchange
  a corn exchange
2. ( as modifier )
  an exchange broker
1. the system by which commercial debts between parties in different places are settled by commercial documents, esp bills of exchange, instead of by direct payment of money
2. the percentage or fee charged for accepting payment in this manner
a transfer or interchange of sums of money of equivalent value, as between different national currencies or different issues of the same currency
often plural the cheques, drafts, bills, etc, exchanged or settled between banks in a clearing house
chess the capture by both players of pieces of equal value, usually on consecutive moves
lose the exchange
chess to lose a rook in return for a bishop or knight
win the exchange
chess to win a rook in return for a bishop or knight
med another word for transfusion
physics a process in which a particle is transferred between two nucleons, such as the transfer of a meson between two nucleons

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Derived Forms

exˈchangeable, adjective
exˈchangeably, adverb
exˌchangeaˈbility, noun

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Other Words From

ex·changer noun
preex·change verb (used with object) preexchanged preexchanging
reex·change verb reexchanged reexchanging
unex·changed adjective

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Word History and Origins

Origin of exchange¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; (for the verb) Middle English eschaungen, from Anglo-French eschaungier, from Vulgar Latin excambiāre (unrecorded); equivalent to ex- ¹ + change ); noun derivative of the verb

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Word History and Origins

Origin of exchange¹

C14: from Anglo-French eschaungier, from Vulgar Latin excambiāre (unattested), from Latin cambīre to barter

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Idioms and Phrases

see in exchange .

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Example Sentences

That first phase ultimately saw Hamas return 25 living Israeli hostages and the remains of eight others - in exchange for about 1,800 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel – as well as five living Thai hostages.

From BBC

About half the world’s public mining companies are listed on Canadian stock exchanges.

From Salon

Through a planning tool known as “transfer of development rights,” homeowners in high-risk areas could work with city officials to exchange for property in safer neighborhoods.

From Los Angeles Times

A previous deal with China that gave access to minerals in exchange for infrastructure projects was criticised for not delivering on some of what was promised.

From BBC

The bulk of an eight-minute body-camera video of the incident released by the Sheriff’s Department shows a tense exchange between several deputies and a woman clutching her baby.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

swap

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

exch.exchangeable

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