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

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

Astronomers call the exchange of material into and out of galaxies baryon cycling.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026

The tax-free exchange offer allows Medtronic investors to swap their shares for MiniMed shares held by Medtronic in what Wall Street calls a split-off.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

The exchange took during the Steelers’ first drive in their eventual 27-24 road loss to the Cleveland Browns.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

South Korea has pledged $350 billion in U.S. investments, plus an additional $100 billion for American energy purchases, in exchange for dropping tariffs on most goods from 25% to 15%.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

I thought I’d done something to hurt your feelings, since you never said good-bye and we never got to exchange presents or spit in our hands and seal our friendship.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan

Their interpretation suggests that the superconducting state exchanges virtual photons with the dark cavity.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 3, 2026

China, once a major center for bitcoin trading and mining, banned fundraising through new digital tokens and ordered domestic crypto exchanges to close in 2017.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

Andrew Hernandez, president of the Metro Baseball Academy, shared email exchanges and invoices dating to July demonstrating that the academy had been paying for its use of the athletic fields.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

The deal, which was criticised by rights groups who said it was treating humans as commodities, initially targeted 2,600 exchanges.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

Luckily, the ubiquitous nature of music and arts as an expressive form found in all cultures, allows for extensive exchanges of ideas from all corners of the globe.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

One likely reason is that early bat lineages exchanged genes with one another.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 30, 2026

The talks are expected to focus on "messages exchanged with the United States through intermediaries... particularly regarding the conditions set by Iran for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz".

From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026

After the April community meeting, Falb and her mother exchanged contact information with other residents, eventually forming the Lone Pine Canyon Protection Alliance, with Falb serving as vice president and Unibe as secretary.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026

An official from the foundation once exchanged a memo with an associate advocating for the purchase of the Pacific island nation of Nauru, according to a 2023 bankruptcy lawsuit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026

As they exchanged a few pleasantries in Russian, sounding like acquaintances but not close friends, he handed her an envelope.

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

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

Pezeshkian's remarks came after Iran and the United States resumed exchanging fire on Monday following more than a month of relative calm, with the Strait of Hormuz a key point of contention.

From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026

As they were exchanging back slaps and handshakes, someone hurled the first insult: “Did My Little Pony throw up in your closet? I hate it when that happens.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

The two brides celebrated with an intimate dinner for family and friends, before exchanging vows beneath the Chuppah in bespoke looks by Israeli fashion designer Oria Azran.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

People were mingling, laughing and talking and exchanging more “in case of war” tips.

From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Related Words

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