exchange

American  

[iks-chaynj] / ɪksˈtʃeɪndʒ /

verb (used with object)

• exchanges,
  present (3rd person singular)
• exchanged,
  past participle,  past
• exchanging
  present participle

1. to give up (something) for something else; part with for some equivalent; change for another.

   Synonyms:

   swap, trade, barter, commute, interchange

2. to replace (returned merchandise) with an equivalent or something else.

   Most stores will allow the purchaser to exchange goods.

3. to give and receive reciprocally; interchange.

   to exchange blows; to exchange gifts.

4. to part with in return for some equivalent; transfer for a recompense; barter.

   to exchange goods with foreign countries.

5. Chess. to capture (an enemy piece) in return for a capture by the opponent generally of pieces of equal value.

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verb (used without object)

• exchanges,
  present (3rd person singular)
• exchanged,
  past participle,  past
• exchanging
  present participle

1. to make an exchange; engage in bartering, replacing, or substituting one thing for another.

2. to pass or be taken in exchange or as an equivalent.

noun

• exchanges
  plural

1. the act, process, or an instance of exchanging.

   The contesting nations arranged for an exchange of prisoners; money in exchange for services.

   Synonyms:

   barter, commerce, business, traffic, trade, interchange

2. something that is given or received in exchange or substitution for something else.

   The car was a fair exchange.

3. a place for buying and selling commodities, securities, etc., typically open only to members.

   Synonyms:

   market

4. a central office or central station.

   a telephone exchange.

5. the method or system by which debits and credits in different places are settled without the actual transfer of money, by means of bills of exchange representing money values.

6. the discharge of obligations in different places by the transfer of credits.

7. the amount or percentage charged for exchanging money, collecting a draft, etc.

8. the reciprocal transfer of equivalent sums of money, as in the currencies of two different countries.

9. the giving or receiving of a sum of money in one place for a bill ordering the payment of an equivalent sum in another.

10. exchange rate.

11. the amount of the difference in value between two or more currencies, or between the values of the same currency at two or more places.

12. the checks, drafts, etc., exchanged at a clearinghouse.

13. Chess. a reciprocal capture of pieces of equivalent value by opponents in a single series of moves.

exchange British  

/ ɪksˈtʃeɪndʒ /

verb

1. (tr) to give up, part with, or transfer (one thing) for an equivalent

   to exchange gifts

   to exchange francs for dollars

2. (tr) to give and receive (information, ideas, etc); interchange

3. (tr) to replace (one thing) with another, esp to replace unsatisfactory goods

4. to transfer or hand over (goods) in return for the equivalent value in kind rather than in money; barter; trade

5. (tr) chess to capture and surrender (pieces, usually of the same value) in a single sequence of moves

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noun

1. the act or process of exchanging

2. 1. anything given or received as an equivalent, replacement, or substitute for something else

   2. ( as modifier )

      an exchange student

3. an argument or quarrel; altercation

   the two men had a bitter exchange

4. Also called: telephone exchange. a switching centre in which telephone lines are interconnected

5. 1. a place where securities or commodities are sold, bought, or traded, esp by brokers or merchants

      a stock exchange

      a corn exchange

   2. ( as modifier )

      an exchange broker

6. 1. the system by which commercial debts between parties in different places are settled by commercial documents, esp bills of exchange, instead of by direct payment of money

   2. the percentage or fee charged for accepting payment in this manner

7. a transfer or interchange of sums of money of equivalent value, as between different national currencies or different issues of the same currency

8. (often plural) the cheques, drafts, bills, etc, exchanged or settled between banks in a clearing house

9. chess the capture by both players of pieces of equal value, usually on consecutive moves

10. chess to lose a rook in return for a bishop or knight

11. chess to win a rook in return for a bishop or knight

12. med another word for transfusion

13. physics a process in which a particle is transferred between two nucleons, such as the transfer of a meson between two nucleons

exchange Idioms  

1. see in exchange.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• exchangeability
  noun
• exchanger
  noun
• reexchange
  verb
• preexchange
  verb (used with object)
• exchangeable
  adjective
• unexchanged
  adjective
• exchangeably
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• exchanges
  plural

Participles

• exchanging
  present
• exchanged
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• exchange
  simple
• exchanges
  simple
• have exchanged
  perfect
• has exchanged
  perfect
• am exchanging
  progressive
• are exchanging
  progressive
• is exchanging
  progressive
• have been exchanging
  perfect progressive
• has been exchanging
  perfect progressive

Past

• exchanged
  simple
• had exchanged
  perfect
• was exchanging
  progressive
• were exchanging
  progressive
• had been exchanging
  perfect progressive

Future

• will exchange
  simple
• will have exchanged
  perfect
• will be exchanging
  progressive
• will have been exchanging
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of exchange

First recorded in 1250–1300; (for the verb) Middle English eschaungen, from Anglo-French eschaungier, from Vulgar Latin excambiāre (unrecorded); equivalent to ex- ¹ + change ); noun derivative of the verb

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Explanation

To exchange means to trade one thing for another. If you and your friend both prefer what the other has brought for lunch, you should exchange lunches. Exchange, which is both a noun and a verb, comes from the Latin ex-, meaning "out" and cambiare, for "change" or "substitute." If you're traveling in Europe, you exchange U.S. Dollars for Euros. If you get a really awful outfit for your birthday present, you can go to the store and exchange it for one you like better. The correspondence between you and your loved one is an exchange of love letters. An argument is an exchange of opinions.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

exchange exchanges exchanged exchanging

The picture is not one of clean lineages but of a tangled web of contact and exchange extending across millions of years.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 5, 2026

Companies will also be asked: "What did you get in exchange?"

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026

“In exchange, we held up our end of the deal and asked the court to dismiss the case, which it did.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026

For the Colts, the bet spoiled quickly after they acquired cornerback Sauce Gardner from New York last season in exchange for first rounders in 2026 and 2027, along with receiver Adonai Mitchell.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026

Luckily, though, the exchange gives me enough time to get a good hold on the akrafena and cut through Nansi’s web.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

During often tense exchanges with the judges, Ammori's team accepted that Palestine Action could not be described as an ordinary and peaceful protest group.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026

Big exchanges and trading firms are also looking to launch a web of derivatives tied to compute, as it is known in the industry.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026

"Even when you think you are using one of the most robust exchanges in the world, it can still be hacked," Stephane Ifrah, an analyst at Coinhouse, told AFP.

From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026

The onus is now on exchanges to prove customers funds are secure.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026

I walk toward the elevator and pass Zeta-4 happily holding out her tray as a woman exchanges an empty glass for a full one.

From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera

While some ancient Europeans exchanged genes across considerable distances, other populations appear to have maintained a continuous genetic presence in particular regions for thousands of years.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 2, 2026

In March 2024, Variety reported that Stephenson exchanged emails and calls with the Writers Guild of America’s senior director of credits Lesley Mackey, alleging he needed to discuss a “credits-related issue” on a high-profile film.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026

Those future samples could provide another important piece of the puzzle, helping researchers determine how different regions of the early Solar System exchanged material and ultimately produced the planets, moons, and asteroids we observe today.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026

When investors hear the words “insider trading,” they think of profitable stock tips exchanged on a golf course or through some coded message: “Blue Horseshoe loves Anacott Steel.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

The rusalki exchanged glances, then both turned their empty eyes to Anya.

From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack

The guidelines highlight PhageNET DZIF, a network established and coordinated by Claßen, as an important platform for exchanging scientific knowledge and clinical experience.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 5, 2026

And we tend to understand both roles more intuitively in situations where nobody is exchanging money.

From Salon ● Oct. 28, 2026

Like other communities around the country, residents in Doral have begun exchanging messages to alert one another to the presence of immigration agents or to someone being detained.

From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026

A small coterie of dissenters began exchanging knowing glances on campus.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

“Don’t take it easy on her,” he said to Rachel, the two exchanging a glance.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

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Related Words

• change
• commerce
• network
• swap
• transaction
• transfer

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