swap

American  

[swop] / swɒp /

especially British, swop

verb (used with object)

swapped, swapping

1. to exchange, barter, or trade, as one thing for another.

   He swapped his wrist watch for the radio.

2. to substitute (one thing) for another (sometimes followed byin ).

   Swap in red wine for white, since powerful nutrients are in the red grape's skin.

3. to replace (one thing) with another (sometimes followed byout ).

   To cut down on fat, swap cream for milk.

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verb (used without object)

swapped, swapping

1. to make an exchange.

noun

1. an exchange.

   He got the radio in a swap.

swap British  

/ swɒp /

verb

1. to trade or exchange (something or someone) for another

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noun

1. an exchange

2. something that is exchanged

3. Also called: swap option.   swaption.  finance a contract in which the parties to it exchange liabilities on outstanding debts, often exchanging fixed interest-rate for floating-rate debts ( debt swap ), either as a means of managing debt or in trading ( swap trading )

Other Word Forms

• swapper noun
• unswapped adjective

Etymology

Origin of swap

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English swappen “to strike, strike hands (in bargaining)”; cognate with dialectal German schwappen “to clap, box (the ears)”

Example Sentences

There were other casualties tied to the fate of mortgages in the less-well-understood byways of the financial system, such as the over-the-counter market for credit default swaps.

From Barron's

There, Chinese users and the self-declared TikTok refugees taught each other Mandarin and English, exchanged recipes and swapped notes on daily life in their respective countries.

From The Wall Street Journal

Saab was indicted in the United States for money laundering but returned to Venezuela in 2024 as part of a prisoner swap to take up the role of industry minister.

From Barron's

Top brokers walk the floors of countless buildings, swap insights over bad coffee, and turn years of schmoozing into multimillion-dollar commissions.

From The Wall Street Journal

The pair reportedly bonded on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada last year, swapping stories of their difficult childhoods.

From Barron's

Related Words

• substitute
• switch
• trade