barter
Americanverb (used without object)
-
barters,
present (3rd person singular)
-
bartered,
past participle, past
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bartering
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
barters,
present (3rd person singular)
-
bartered,
past participle, past
-
bartering
present participle
-
to exchange in trade, as one commodity for another; trade.
- Synonyms:
- traffic
-
to bargain away unwisely or dishonorably (usually followed byaway ).
bartering away his pride for material gain.
noun
-
the act or practice of bartering.
-
items or an item for bartering.
We arrived with new barter for the villagers.
verb
-
to trade (goods, services, etc) in exchange for other goods, services, etc, rather than for money
the refugees bartered for food
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(intr) to haggle over the terms of such an exchange; bargain
noun
Synonym Usage
See trade.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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bartersimple
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barterssimple
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have barteredperfect
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has barteredperfect
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am barteringprogressive
-
are barteringprogressive
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is barteringprogressive
-
have been barteringperfect progressive
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has been barteringperfect progressive
Past
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barteredsimple
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had barteredperfect
-
was barteringprogressive
-
were barteringprogressive
-
had been barteringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of barter
1400–50; late Middle English, apparently < Anglo-French, Old French bareter, barater ( see barrator), with shift of sense
Explanation
If you make a deal with your brother to change the oil in his car in exchange for one of his video games, what you’ve just done is barter — or trade goods and services. Before money was invented, people traded goods and services in order to acquire the things they needed. An individual might trade, for example, a cow in exchange for help building a shed, or a dozen eggs in exchange for several yards of cloth. To this day people continue to barter for goods and services although this method of commerce is no longer widespread. The verb barter has survived into modern times to refer to making a transaction that involves the exchange of goods or services rather than money.
Vocabulary lists containing barter
Unit 2: Pivotal Words and Phrases
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Native American History - Introductory
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Mesopotamia - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The nations have also experimented with direct barter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026
Plus, it creates new headaches for companies, many of which would likely jockey for workarounds as the administration has shown a willingness to barter tariffs for other commitments, he adds.
From Barron's ● Feb. 11, 2026
Together, the data support a new interpretation of Monte Sierpe as an Indigenous center for barter and exchange that may have evolved into an accounting system under Inca rule.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 10, 2025
Menendez said the position gave him access to wall phones, and used the position to help him barter or gain favors.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2025
He knew it was possible no food had come in during the week and Harvey might not have any to barter.
From "The Dead and the Gone" by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Luis said he then buys dollar-denominated stablecoins on overseas crypto markets, which he barters for pesos on peer-to-peer exchanges in Argentina -- all under the radar of Argentine tax and financial authorities.
From Reuters ● Jul. 25, 2023
As the creators and showrunners of HBO’s “Westworld,” based on the original film and screenplay by Michael Crichton, they were no strangers to sci-fi that barters in slippery notions of reality.
From New York Times ● Oct. 28, 2022
“Three Thousand Years of Longing” is a cerebral film that barters in riddles.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 23, 2022
“No one barters its destiny for corn cake,” Kim wrote.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 19, 2022
Life in the Fen was apparently a series of barters.
From "Gathering Blue" by Lois Lowry
Allen bartered the show for free to TV stations in exchange for a split of the revenues from selling commercials to advertisers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026
In a time where edgy influencers like Clavicular and HSTikkyTokky are reposted, shared, and platformed for their ability to provoke, morality is bartered for popularity.
From Slate ● May 12, 2026
But in Wisconsin, no part of a wild sturgeon can be bought, sold or bartered for.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026
Scholars suggest that some of these human remains were bartered items or gifts, but others may have been taken away without the consent of their owners.
From BBC ● Nov. 18, 2024
At the lake my father bartered with the Muslim businessmen, known as the Yao, who populate that part of the country.
From "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind" by William Kamkwamba
Some vendors at the Central Avenue Farmers Market are open to bartering or trading with customers experiencing food scarcity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
When challenged whether he was coercively controlling couriers for his own ends, he said: "No, it's more of a bartering system. They want something and I want something. It goes hand in hand."
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
There’s also a bartering and swap group where folks negotiate clever exchanges: “I have an unused air fryer. You have an unused desk chair. Want to swap?”
From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2025
In place of socializing, we’re using a parent community as a bartering platform.
From Slate ● Jan. 11, 2025
They kept everything there, the food and whatever little they still had for bartering.
From "The Dead and the Gone" by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
