change hands

Idioms  

1. Pass from one owner to another. For example, This house seems to change hands every other year, or The contract is valid only when money changes hands. [Second half of 1600s]

---

Example Sentences

JBS, a giant meat and food processing company from the Netherlands, is up 25% year to date, with a 17% advance during the last month to change hands around $18.

From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026

Cameron Norrie has replaced Jack Draper as the British men's number one - but it is a position which could change hands several times this year.

From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026

Brent crude, the global benchmark, rose 3% to change hands above $85 a barrel, close to its most expensive since the summer of 2024.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 4, 2026

So unlike other teams that sometimes require total overhauls when they change hands, the Seahawks could be sold as immediate contenders.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

There was no need on either side—long or short—for cash to change hands.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis