barter

1 of 2

verb

bar·​ter ˈbär-tər How to pronounce barter (audio)
bartered; bartering; barters

intransitive verb

: to trade by exchanging one commodity for another : to trade goods or services in exchange for other goods or services
farmers bartering for supplies with their crops
bartered with the store's owner

transitive verb

: to trade or exchange by or as if by bartering
bartering work for food
barterer noun

barter

2 of 2

noun

1
: the act or practice of trading goods or services for other goods or services : the act or practice of carrying on trade by bartering
2
: goods or services that are traded for other goods or services : the thing given in exchange in bartering

Examples of barter in a Sentence

Noun The tribes use a system of barter. The explorers used blankets and other supplies for barter to get food from the native people.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Sydney Sweeney opened up about invasive photographers stalking her home, recalling the time paparazzi tried to barter bikini photos with her family. Jessica Wang, EW.com, 4 Oct. 2024 Hopefully Busta bartered a cameo in the new Venom movie for a Face Puller guest verse on his upcoming album Blockbusta, which is slated to drop Nov. 24. Angel Diaz, Billboard, 7 Aug. 2024
Noun
Our last stop was Mattancherry, once home to the large spice markets where traders came to bid and barter. Abraham Verghese, Travel + Leisure, 24 July 2024 Essentially, this a barter system that assessed value in rubles. Anthony Kuhn, NPR, 20 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for barter 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'barter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English bartren, from Anglo-French *bareter to do business, exchange, alteration of Old French barater — more at barratry

Noun

Middle English, noun derivative of bartren "to barter entry 1"

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of barter was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near barter

Cite this Entry

“Barter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/barter. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

barter

1 of 2 verb
bar·​ter ˈbärt-ər How to pronounce barter (audio)
: to trade one thing for another without the use of money
barterer noun

barter

2 of 2 noun
: the exchange of goods without the use of money

Legal Definition

barter

1 of 2 intransitive verb
bar·​ter ˈbär-tər How to pronounce barter (audio)
: to trade by exchanging one commodity or service for another

transitive verb

: to trade or exchange by or as if by bartering compare sell

barter

2 of 2 noun
: the art or practice of carrying on trade or exchange by or as if by bartering : exchange of one commodity or service for another compare sale

More from Merriam-Webster on barter

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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