transaction
Americannoun
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transactions
plural
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the act of transacting or the fact of being transacted.
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an instance or process of transacting something.
- Synonyms:
- affair, venture, enterprise, bargain, deal
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something that is transacted, especially a business agreement.
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Psychology. an interaction of an individual with one or more other persons, especially as influenced by their assumed relational roles of parent, child, or adult.
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transactions, the published records of the proceedings, as papers read, addresses delivered, or discussions, at the meetings of a learned society or the like.
noun
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something that is transacted, esp a business deal or negotiation
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the act of transacting or the state of being transacted
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(plural) the published records of the proceedings of a society, conference, etc
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(in business computing) the act of obtaining and paying for an item or service
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(in general computing) the transmission and processing of an item of data
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of transaction
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Latin trānsāctiōn- (stem of trānsāctiō ) “completion, transaction”; see transact, -ion
Explanation
A transaction is any kind of action involved in conducting business, or an interaction between people. When you go to the bank, fill out a form, and deposit your paycheck, you make a transaction. An important business deal can be called a transaction, particularly the buying or selling of goods, but you can call any exchange with another person a transaction. There are transactions involving money, ideas, and even e-mail. The Latin root transactionem describes an agreement or accomplishment. This led to a mid-15th century version of transaction that described the adjustment of a dispute.
Vocabulary lists containing transaction
Chains
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Economics
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"Say It with Flowers" and "The Journey"
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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 transaction resulted in roughly 60 layoffs, Quixote said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
“Potential regulatory tightening on highly speculative or high-velocity products, particularly weekly index options, could disproportionately compress top-line growth given the high concentration of transaction charges in the revenue mix,” Emkay Research analysts wrote.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
He does admit that he's sometimes the person on the other side of the transaction and can be forgetful himself.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
The Financial Times reported on the transaction on Tuesday, prompting some analyst reactions in advance of the official announcement.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
I’m always amused by commercials for banks which tout their personalized service, which service amounts to a poorly trained and badly paid cashier saying “Good morning” and then promptly fouling up your transaction.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
Posting on X, Bessent said Turkey, Oman and the United Arab Emirates had halted flights from various Iranian airlines, and some banks in the UAE and Turkey had stopped transactions with Iran.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
They were to be cleared through the Cross-Border Interbank Payment System, a Chinese financial network in which transactions are harder for U.S. authorities to track, the people said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
The business said the errors hit roughly 264,000 workers, though it insisted the issues affected under 1% of overall local transactions.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
They also tend to charge higher fees for cash advances or foreign transactions, and late payments.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
Most legal transactions were based on an exchange of oaths sworn in the name of Jesus Christ.
From "Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village" by Laura Amy Schlitz
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.
