interchangeable

American  

[in-ter-cheyn-juh-buhl] / ˌɪn tərˈtʃeɪn dʒə bəl /

adjective

1. (of two things) capable of being put or used in the place of each other.

   interchangeable symbols.

2. (of one thing) capable of replacing or changing places with something else.

   an interchangeable part.

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Related Words

See exchangeable.

Other Word Forms

• interchangeability noun
• interchangeableness noun
• interchangeably adverb
• noninterchangeability noun
• noninterchangeable adjective
• noninterchangeableness noun
• uninterchangeable adjective

Etymology

Origin of interchangeable

First recorded in 1400–50; interchange + -able; replacing late Middle English entrechaungeable, from Middle French entrechangeable

Example Sentences

Both versions would trade with the same Cusip number to ensure they are interchangeable and settle through the Depository Trust, which processes many stock trades.

From The Wall Street Journal

The problem is that interest rates and the balance sheet are treated as interchangeable tools, but they are not.

From MarketWatch

U.S. and allied militaries are training together more extensively and buying the same equipment, aiming to make their forces not just interoperable, but interchangeable.

From The Wall Street Journal

One antitrust attorney recently told Reuters External link that the DOJ is “unlikely to see Netflix and YouTube as interchangeable rivals, given their different content, audiences, and business models.”

From Barron's

Western countries fear that these satellite launch systems incorporate technologies interchangeable with those used in ballistic missiles, potentially capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.

From Barron's

Related Words

• compatible
• synonymous