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

Earlier, Fifa denied a story in the Times that Infantino had promised Morocco it will host the 2030 World Cup final in exchange for its support.

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026

The Energy Department agreed to formal stipulations in exchange for the plaintiffs forgoing the discovery process, which likely would have meant officials would be deposed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

By the end of June, London had in exchange for its forced removals admitted 1,117 other migrants who had requested entry in France.

From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026

In the end, though, they and Rays decided it would be more prudent to hold on to their top prospects rather than mortgage their future in exchange for a postseason run with Skubal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

After his exchange for Rudolf Abel—dramatized in Steven Spielberg’s 2015 film Bridge of Spies—Francis Gary Powers was taken directly to a CIA safe house in rural Maryland and grilled for days on end.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

In 2021, she and her neighbors predicted something bad was bound to happen via email exchanges.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

“Through military exchanges, we have been learning so much practical combat experience from the U.S.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

Saluzzi, though, points out that many other data providers, news organisations and stock exchanges currently operate similar services, providing a "precedent" for TMTG.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

Iran and the US resumed exchanges of fire last month after a days-long lull in fighting, although there were no reported strikes between Friday and Sunday.

From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026

It turned out that the Fayu normally lived as single families, scattered through the swamp and coming together once or twice each year to negotiate exchanges of brides.

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

However, the ghost population exchanged genes with modern humans at an earlier point than the Neanderthal and Denisovan encounters outside Africa.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 1, 2026

Berk said Monday the pair exchanged over 1,200 text messages in that time frame.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

The headphones he regularly wears were gone, he exchanged jokes with the host about wearing a blazer in the sweltering Jeddah heat, and he saluted supporters as he took his seat on stage.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

The Trump administration exchanged barrels released from the SPR for lower-cost barrels that will be delivered back to the reserve starting early next year, the statement said.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026

The confession didn’t feel like it belonged to me anymore, as though in shouldering this possession, I had exchanged some of Yakov’s past for my own.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

But the day before exchanging contracts the buyers of her house dropped their agreed offer by £15,000.

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026

Now he’s gone dark, deleting his X.com account after exchanging volleys with a radio reporter.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026

U.S. stock futures were in the green, with the Nasdaq-100 leading gains, amid the U.S. and Iran exchanging fresh fire.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

Under California law, leaving the scene of a property-damage-only collision without exchanging information or notifying authorities can result in misdemeanor penalties if charges are filed.

From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026

Mr. Dovlo got up and took the lead, exchanging a few words with the driver while we hoisted our bags onto our backs.

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo

Related Words

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