exchange

American  

[iks-cheynj] / 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

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

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

This exchange allows the two cell populations to support regeneration while placing limits on excessive growth.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026

Mr. Bessent had all but said it was a condition of his participation in the July intervention to stabilize the yen-dollar exchange rate.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

In an interview in July, Regan denied asking the clinics to support his unionization efforts in exchange for dropping Proposition 44.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

The minister said she has not been in touch with the secretary of state personally since the online exchange, but said she will continue to focus on finding a way forward in budget negotiations.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

Grandma and Lou exchange a cryptic look as the kids climb higher.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

All have American depositary receipts traded on U.S. exchanges, meaning you can buy the stocks easily through your brokerage account, and can even own them in a tax-sheltered account such as an IRA.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026

She said she had been reassured by subsequent email exchanges which showed the sender had detailed knowledge of the Abergavenny festival site and facilities on offer, until she finally paid for a pitch.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

The exchanges showed how air-defense math can favor the attacker and how Iran has adapted its attacks to force the U.S. to burn precious munitions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

But it will not necessarily cut informal flows or exchanges between private actors, which are deeply rooted on both sides of the Gulf.

From Barron's ● Sep. 13, 2026

For instance, there is much archaeological evidence for exchanges of people and material objects between Japan and Korea in the period A.D. 300-700.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

The couple exchanged vows on Friday, May 22, on a private island in the Bahamas.

From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026

Many people in line in Marina del Rey chatted about their favorite Sanrio characters and exchanged childhood memories.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

We have exchanged several notes via a prison messaging system, though.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

He included text from emails exchanged with OpenAI over the work and his questions of the company's timing and methods.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

They shook hands, exchanged pleasantries, and Mother followed him to a doorway with a security camera.

From "City Spies" by James Ponti

The insider further revealed that the lovers spent 20 minutes exchanging their handwritten vows, and that they handed out custom handkerchiefs, embroidered with a “TT” and lyrics from Swift’s 2014 song “Blank Space.”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 7, 2026

DOJ officials and the company had spent months exchanging settlement proposals but had little to show for it, and some in the government had been pushing to break up the giant.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

Ohtani looked close to his normal self, even exchanging a few “gotcha” laughs with Smith, like when he induced an infield pop-up.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026

He denied on Sunday that Iran was negotiating with the United States, saying they were merely "exchanging messages" via intermediaries.

From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026

The guy took his laser printer and started exchanging for other kinds of electronics, until he traded his way into a brand-new laptop computer.

From "The Season of Styx Malone" by Kekla Magoon

Related Words

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