exchange (n.)

  1. chemical process in which one atom or ion or group changes places with another

  2. (chess) gaining (or losing) a rook in return for a knight or bishop; black lost the exchange'

  3. (chess) the capture by both players (usually on consecutive moves) of pieces of equal value; the endgame began after the exchange of queens'

  4. a mutual expression of views (especially an unpleasant one); they had a bitter exchange'

  5. the act of changing one thing for another thing; Adam was promised immortality in exchange for his disobedience; there was an interchange of prisoners

    [ Syn: interchange ]

  6. the act of giving something in return for something received; deductible losses on sales or exchanges of property are allowable'

  7. a workplace that serves as a telecommunications facility where lines from telephones can be connected together to permit communication

    [ Syn: central , telephone exchange ]

  8. a workplace for buying and selling; open only to members

  9. (sports) an unbroken sequence of several successive strokes; after a short rally Connors won the point

    [ Syn: rally ]

  10. reciprocal transfer of equivalent sums of money (especially the currencies of different countries); he earns his living from the interchange of currency

    [ Syn: interchange ]

  11. the act of putting one thing or person in the place of another: he sent Smith in for Jones but the substitution came too late to help

    [ Syn: substitution , commutation ]

    exchange (v.)

  1. give to, and receive from, one another; Would you change places with me?; We have been exchanging letters for a year

    [ Syn: change , interchange ]

  2. exchange or replace with another, usually of the same kind or category; Could you convert my dollars into pounds?; He changed his name; convert centimeters into inches; convert holdings into shares

    [ Syn: change , commute , convert ]

  3. change over, change around, as to a new order or sequence

    [ Syn: switch over , switch ]

  4. hand over one and receive another, approximately equivalent; exchange prisoners; exchange employees between branches of the company'

  5. put in the place of another; switch seemingly equivalent items; the con artist replaced the original with a fake Rembrandt; substitute regular milk with fat-free milk; synonyms can be interchanged without a changing the contexts meaning

    [ Syn: substitute , replace , interchange ]

  6. exchange a penalty for a less severe one

    [ Syn: commute , convert ]

The dictionary is based on the WordNet Electronic Lexical Database.
WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2011 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.