swap
Americanverb (used with object)
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swaps,
present (3rd person singular)
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swapped,
past participle, past
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swapping
present participle
-
to exchange, barter, or trade, as one thing for another.
He swapped his wrist watch for the radio.
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to substitute (one thing) for another (sometimes followed byin ).
Swap in red wine for white, since powerful nutrients are in the red grape's skin.
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to replace (one thing) with another (sometimes followed byout ).
To cut down on fat, swap cream for milk.
verb (used without object)
-
swaps,
present (3rd person singular)
-
swapped,
past participle, past
-
swapping
present participle
noun
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swaps
plural
verb
noun
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an exchange
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something that is exchanged
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Also called: swap option. swaption. finance a contract in which the parties to it exchange liabilities on outstanding debts, often exchanging fixed interest-rate for floating-rate debts ( debt swap ), either as a means of managing debt or in trading ( swap trading )
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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swapsimple
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swapssimple
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have swappedperfect
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has swappedperfect
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am swappingprogressive
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are swappingprogressive
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is swappingprogressive
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have been swappingperfect progressive
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has been swappingperfect progressive
Past
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swappedsimple
-
had swappedperfect
-
was swappingprogressive
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were swappingprogressive
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had been swappingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of swap
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English swappen “to strike, strike hands (in bargaining)”; cognate with dialectal German schwappen “to clap, box (the ears)”
Explanation
The word swap means you give something in exchange for something else. In the medieval ages, a farmer would swap — or exchange — his cow for his neighbor's horse. First used in the 1590s to mean "exchange, barter, trade," as a noun swap can mean an equal exchange. You might do a clothes swap with one of your friends in the hopes of perking up your wardrobe. As a verb swap describes the act of exchanging something for something else. You might swap oil for applesauce when baking brownies to make this treat healthier. In computer science swap means you move a piece of a computer program into memory.
Vocabulary lists containing swap
"Culture Clash"
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for September 17–September 23, 2022
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Ship Breaker
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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 glare of the metal painted a mirage in the desiccated swap meet landscape, emitting an orb of heat and undeniable beauty.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
The White House has yet to respond directly to the alleged plane swap.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
McNeil has completed a move to Palace and signed a four-year contract in a swap deal that involved Brennan Johnson moving to Everton.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
In June, his company invited founders, investors and lawyers to gather at the Pearl Box, a Manhattan cocktail bar, to swap stories on startup failures and the struggle to compete with AI giants.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
We couldn't resist the urge to swap stories and exchange information, even though such conversations sometimes led to jealousy and anger.
From "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson
The result has been a huge expansion of two popular government bond trades, arbitraging Treasurys or British gilts against bond futures or swaps.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
They’re getting Kessler on a $130-million, four-year deal after completing a sign-and-trade that sent out a 2031 first-rounder, 2033 first-rounder and first-round pick swaps in 2028 and 2030.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
At the same time, credit default swaps for many of these companies have widened notably.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
"Last minute bookings won't always work," says May Burrough, 38, a chief operating officer from London who has done 34 home swaps over the last three years using HomeExchange.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
As he came off the stage, Charlie ambushed him and asked him if maybe Wachovia didn’t want to put its money where its mouth was and sell him some credit default swaps.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
Even the sober Gen Zers I know still go out — they’ve just swapped negronis for mocktails.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
The Toronto Blue Jays swapped him and two other minor leaguers for pitcher José Soriano.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
A farmer has swapped sheep shearing in Dorset for WWE wrestling in the US.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
In short, the value index rode those chip makers to new heights, then swapped them out for Amazon, Apple and Microsoft just as they were touching recent lows.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
The Myrmen swapped jokes as they enjoyed the warmth of the fire, but young Lord Bar Emmon had turned a splotchy grey, and Lord Velaryon was watching the king rather than the conflagration.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
Song, an independent AI developer himself, is one of many swapping the most cutting-edge, bells-and-whistles -- and expensive -- models, like Anthropic's Fable 5, for leaner alternatives like V4 Flash.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
All told, swapping out a normal ramp-up spring training period for high-pressure baseball kept him away from the Mariners for three weeks during the tournament.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
The flip side is the energy starvation has led to some interesting battles, known as "yo-yo racing", with cars swapping positions repeatedly over a number of laps.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
If you’re craving more sweetness, I suggest swapping the dark chocolate for milk chocolate.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
We laughed about all of it, swapping stories about our backgrounds and what led us to the law.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
