change hands

Idioms  

1. Pass from one owner to another. For example, This house seems to change hands every other year, or The contract is valid only when money changes hands. [Second half of 1600s]

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Example Sentences

Because many private loans rarely or never change hands, marking their fair value is a subjective exercise.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026

Such slots can be worth tens of millions of pounds, but change hands only rarely.

From BBC • May 2, 2026

JBS, a giant meat and food processing company from the Netherlands, is up 25% year to date, with a 17% advance during the last month to change hands around $18.

From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026

Critics said private loans rarely change hands, so they lack the volatility that funds face.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

There was no need on either side—long or short—for cash to change hands.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis