stock exchange

American  

noun

stock exchanges plural

1. a building or place where stocks and other securities are bought and sold.

2. an association of brokers and dealers in stocks and bonds who meet together and transact business according to fixed rules.

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stock exchange British  

noun

1. Also called: stock market. 

   1. a highly organized market facilitating the purchase and sale of securities and operated by professional stockbrokers and market makers according to fixed rules

   2. a place where securities are regularly traded

   3. ( as modifier )

      a stock-exchange operator

      stock-exchange prices

2. the prices or trading activity of a stock exchange

   the stock exchange fell heavily today

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stock exchange Cultural  

1. A place where stocks, bonds, and other securities are bought and sold.

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Discover More

In the United States, the two largest stock exchanges are the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ. Activity on these two exchanges is usually considered an indication of the state of the economy as a whole.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• stock exchanges
  plural

Etymology

Origin of stock exchange

First recorded in 1765–75

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

stock exchange

The so-called “paperwork crisis” paved the way for Nasdaq’s all-electronic stock exchange to debut in 1971.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026

The offering gives US investors a way to buy SK Hynix shares without having to trade via an overseas stock exchange.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

Johnson Products is believed to be the first Black-owned company to be traded on a major U.S. stock exchange.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

Shares in the Tiguan and Atlas manufacturer declined by almost 2% on the Frankfurt stock exchange during Monday’s session.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026

The Johannesburg stock exchange plunged and capital started to flow out of the country.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Related Words

• exchange