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

That exchange is followed by a notification that she blocked Stenberg.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

Alongside the screenshots of her comments in the group chat, she shared a February 2025 exchange with Stenberg.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

Half-year sales dipped three percent to 7.2 billion euros on a reported basis but once currency exchange rates and changes to the business are stripped out they edged one percent higher.

From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026

The MAS uses the exchange rate rather than interest rates as its main policy tool because Singapore’s trade flows dwarf its domestic economic activity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

A combination saloon, inn, and post office—not unlike Surratt’s tavern—it was known among Confederate sympathizers as a reliable safe house and place to exchange information.

From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson

It wasn’t clear if the queries were part of genuine efforts to make the weapons or exercises to probe the apps’ capabilities, according to people familiar with the exchanges.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

A Robinhood spokesperson said the company “will continue to partner with multiple exchanges to ensure our customers have access to a diverse and resilient marketplace.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

Screenshots of exchanges that Winters allegedly had with ChatGPT appear to show the chatbot combined medical advice with references to the 55-year-old's deeply-held Christian faith.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson also signalled Monday that diplomatic exchanges with the United States -- via mediators -- were ongoing.

From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026

Thus, large-scale economic exchanges of food, between communities at different altitudes specializing in different types of food production, never developed in New Guinea.

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

Iran’s foreign ministry said Monday that the U.S. had exchanged messages with Tehran but wouldn’t call it negotiations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

In her verdict, Judge AN Tse Ching relied in part on the messages exchanged after the encounter, according to the South China Morning Post, external.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 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

Christopher looked at Mal, his eyebrows high behind the woman’s back, and they exchanged grimaces.

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell

The court heard one man approached Davies believing he was in a genuine relationship with her, after exchanging months of messages with one of Weston's fake accounts.

From BBC ● Jul. 16, 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

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

Unlike past initiatives, the deals weren’t standard grants or subsidies; they were structured as a pseudo-sovereign wealth fund mechanism exchanging ownership stakes for capital.

From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026

It was like they were exchanging telepathic messages.

From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram

Related Words

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