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
-
barterssimple
-
have barteredperfect
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has barteredperfect
-
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
-
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
The victim had left a trading card show in Orange County that day and visited the Olympic Boulevard shop looking to barter, he told The Times.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 23, 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
“Got a basement full of them,” he replied just as quickly, and before Mom could offer another barter he said, “I wish I didn’t have to ask you for cash, but I do.”
From "Dead End in Norvelt" by Jack Gantos
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
It’s a cerebral film that barters in riddles.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 26, 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
Outside in the world, volcanoes erupted, governments rose and collapsed and bartered for hostages, rockets exploded, walls fell.
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
When shoppers don’t have enough to cover purchases, several vendors suggested that they were open to bartering or offering deals for long-term customers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 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
"I think there was a lot of bartering," captain McIntosh says, "trying to get good deals, where we'd get breakfast and tea included."
From BBC ● Feb. 27, 2025
In place of socializing, we’re using a parent community as a bartering platform.
From Slate ● Jan. 11, 2025
Leaving the wheelbarrow, Seth carried the chicken, while Kendra collected an armful of bartering items.
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
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.
