exchange

American  

[iks-cheynj] / ɪksˈtʃeɪndʒ /

verb (used with object)

• exchanges,
  present (3rd person singular)
• exchanged,
  past participle,  past
• exchanging
  present participle

1. to give up (something) for something else; part with for some equivalent; change for another.

   Synonyms:

   swap, trade, barter, commute, interchange

2. to replace (returned merchandise) with an equivalent or something else.

   Most stores will allow the purchaser to exchange goods.

3. to give and receive reciprocally; interchange.

   to exchange blows; to exchange gifts.

4. to part with in return for some equivalent; transfer for a recompense; barter.

   to exchange goods with foreign countries.

5. Chess. to capture (an enemy piece) in return for a capture by the opponent generally of pieces of equal value.

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verb (used without object)

• exchanges,
  present (3rd person singular)
• exchanged,
  past participle,  past
• exchanging
  present participle

1. to make an exchange; engage in bartering, replacing, or substituting one thing for another.

2. to pass or be taken in exchange or as an equivalent.

noun

• exchanges
  plural

1. 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

2. something that is given or received in exchange or substitution for something else.

   The car was a fair exchange.

3. a place for buying and selling commodities, securities, etc., typically open only to members.

   Synonyms:

   market

4. a central office or central station.

   a telephone exchange.

5. 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.

6. the discharge of obligations in different places by the transfer of credits.

7. the amount or percentage charged for exchanging money, collecting a draft, etc.

8. the reciprocal transfer of equivalent sums of money, as in the currencies of two different countries.

9. the giving or receiving of a sum of money in one place for a bill ordering the payment of an equivalent sum in another.

10. exchange rate.

11. 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.

12. the checks, drafts, etc., exchanged at a clearinghouse.

13. Chess. a reciprocal capture of pieces of equivalent value by opponents in a single series of moves.

exchange British  

/ ɪksˈtʃeɪndʒ /

verb

1. (tr) to give up, part with, or transfer (one thing) for an equivalent

   to exchange gifts

   to exchange francs for dollars

2. (tr) to give and receive (information, ideas, etc); interchange

3. (tr) to replace (one thing) with another, esp to replace unsatisfactory goods

4. to transfer or hand over (goods) in return for the equivalent value in kind rather than in money; barter; trade

5. (tr) chess to capture and surrender (pieces, usually of the same value) in a single sequence of moves

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noun

1. the act or process of exchanging

2. 1. anything given or received as an equivalent, replacement, or substitute for something else

   2. ( as modifier )

      an exchange student

3. an argument or quarrel; altercation

   the two men had a bitter exchange

4. Also called: telephone exchange.  a switching centre in which telephone lines are interconnected

5. 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

6. 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

7. a transfer or interchange of sums of money of equivalent value, as between different national currencies or different issues of the same currency

8. (often plural) the cheques, drafts, bills, etc, exchanged or settled between banks in a clearing house

9. chess the capture by both players of pieces of equal value, usually on consecutive moves

10. chess to lose a rook in return for a bishop or knight

11. chess to win a rook in return for a bishop or knight

12. med another word for transfusion

13. physics a process in which a particle is transferred between two nucleons, such as the transfer of a meson between two nucleons

exchange Idioms  

1. see in exchange.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• exchangeability
  noun
• exchanger
  noun
• reexchange
  verb
• preexchange
  verb (used with object)
• exchangeable
  adjective
• unexchanged
  adjective
• exchangeably
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• exchanges
  plural

Participles

• exchanging
  present
• exchanged
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• exchange
  simple
• exchanges
  simple
• have exchanged
  perfect
• has exchanged
  perfect
• am exchanging
  progressive
• are exchanging
  progressive
• is exchanging
  progressive
• have been exchanging
  perfect progressive
• has been exchanging
  perfect progressive

Past

• exchanged
  simple
• had exchanged
  perfect
• was exchanging
  progressive
• were exchanging
  progressive
• had been exchanging
  perfect progressive

Future

• will exchange
  simple
• will have exchanged
  perfect
• will be exchanging
  progressive
• will have been exchanging
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of exchange

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

Explanation

To exchange means to trade one thing for another. If you and your friend both prefer what the other has brought for lunch, you should exchange lunches. Exchange, which is both a noun and a verb, comes from the Latin ex-, meaning "out" and cambiare, for "change" or "substitute." If you're traveling in Europe, you exchange U.S. Dollars for Euros. If you get a really awful outfit for your birthday present, you can go to the store and exchange it for one you like better. The correspondence between you and your loved one is an exchange of love letters. An argument is an exchange of opinions.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

exchange exchanges exchanged exchanging

The tree was also linked to the 1832 cholera outbreak, with historical records indicating money was deposited there in exchange for food to reduce contact between people.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

And your $75,000 paper loss does not automatically reduce your taxable gain, because you already have deferred gains from the previous 1031 exchange.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026

In 2022, Hengli bought the assets of a Dalian shipyard—once owned by a South Korean shipbuilding giant—for around $300 million at current exchange rates.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

The suit cited another exchange when the two covered a press event for a movie release.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

Arlo and I exchange a look, each begging the other to speak first.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

Dern, 33, won the majority of the grappling exchanges to win by unanimous decision and secure her fourth straight victory.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

The Paris, Frankfurt, Madrid and Milan exchanges all hit records in August, in line with recent all-time highs for Wall Street's key indexes.

From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026

In 2021, she and her neighbors predicted something bad was bound to happen via email exchanges.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

“Through military exchanges, we have been learning so much practical combat experience from the U.S.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

He exchanges a brief glance with each of the bodyguards.

From "Warcross" by Marie Lu

Friday’s upbeat figures came as Beijing and Washington in recent days exchanged a fresh round of retaliatory measures in recent days, reigniting trade tensions and dimming the prospects of next month’s bilateral summit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

However, the ghost population exchanged genes with modern humans at an earlier point than the Neanderthal and Denisovan encounters outside Africa.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 1, 2026

At that point, the two sides had not exchanged strikes for a third consecutive day.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

Berk said Monday the pair exchanged over 1,200 text messages in that time frame.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

Christopher and Mal exchanged glances and then followed suit, tearing with their hands and teeth at the meat.

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell

President Trump and Xi pledged to stabilize relations during a May summit in Beijing, but the two countries have continued exchanging tit-for-tat trade measures.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

Crude prices extended Thursday's drop of more than two percent, with investors still hopeful of a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz despite few signs of movement and the US and Iran exchanging threats.

From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026

"Households are more commonly exchanging commuting time for more affordable housing, increased space and access to rural amenities," he said.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

Now he’s gone dark, deleting his X.com account after exchanging volleys with a radio reporter.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026

“Nashville. The rest is a surprise,” Lydia said, exchanging a knowing glance and smile with Dill.

From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner

Related Words

• change
• commerce
• network
• swap
• transaction
• transfer