swap

1 of 2

verb

ˈswäp 

swapped; swapping

transitive verb

1

a

: to give in trade : barter

b

: exchange sense 2

2

: to take turns in telling

swap stories

intransitive verb

: to make an exchange

swapper noun

swap

2 of 2

noun

: an act, instance, or process of exchanging one thing for another

Synonyms of swap

Verb

• exchange
• trade
• substitute
• change

Noun

• exchange

Examples of swap in a Sentence

Verb

He swapped his cupcake for a candy bar.

I swapped seats with my sister so she could see the stage better.

I liked her blue notebook and she liked my red one, so we swapped.

Noun

They made the swap in secret.

we made a swap: I'll do the dishes tonight and she'll do them for me tomorrow

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The real winners after electrification were not the ones that just swapped steam engines for electric motors. — Sumeet Salwan, Forbes.com, 22 Sep. 2026

Researchers at The Australian National University (ANU) found that swapping out a single atom inside a plastic-munching enzyme can boost its power. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 21 Sep. 2026

Noun

The anime’s first part closed with the disturbances tied to the body-swap curse largely resolved, and with Reirin and Keigetsu having grown closer after coming to understand each other through the experience. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 20 Sep. 2026

The court held that the contracts qualified as swaps traded on a federally regulated exchange. — Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 19 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English swappen to strike; from the practice of striking hands in closing a business deal

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

1625, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing swap

• swap meet
• swap stories

Rhymes for swap

• bop
• chop
• cop
• crop
• drop
• flop
• fop
• hop
• knop
• lop
• mop
• op

Kids Definition

swap

verb

ˈswäp

swapped; swapping

: to give in exchange : make an exchange : trade

swap noun

Legal Definition

swap

noun

ˈswäp

1

: an exchange of securities

2

: a derivative contract in which two parties (as corporations) agree to exchange rates especially relating to debt