What does "swap" mean?
An exchange of two comparable things.
Swap
/sʋap/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An exchange of two comparable things.
- Grammar: swap is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: barter, switch, trade, ai changé.
- Useful contrasts: buying, hold, keep.
- Usage evidence: Our policies and systems are getting outdated and need revising, but to try to swap horses while crossing a stream might be dangerous.
How to use "swap"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "swap" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "swap" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "swap" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "swap" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "swap" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "barter" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "swap", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An exchange of two comparable things.
"I e’en changed it, as occasion served, with the skippers o’ Dutch luggers and French vessels, for gin and brandy[…] a gude swap too, between what cheereth the soul of man and that which dingeth it clean out of his body"
- 2 A blow; a stroke. UK, countable, dialectal, obsolete, uncountable
- 3 an equal exchange wordnet
- 4 A financial derivative in which two parties agree to exchange one stream of non-normal cashflow against another stream.
- 5 Space available in a swap file for use as auxiliary memory. informal, uncountable
"How much swap do you need?"
Show 1 more definition
- 6 A social meal at a restaurant between two university societies, usually involving drinking and banter; commonly associated with fining and pennying; equivalent to a crewdate at Oxford University.
Verb
- 1 To exchange or give (something) in an non-normal exchange (for something else). transitive
"In an effort to provide more permanent accommodations, employers may offer employees the opportunity either to swap jobs with a colleague or to transfer to a new position."
- 2 move (a piece of a program) into memory, in computer science wordnet
- 3 To hit, to strike. obsolete, transitive
"And he whipped his sword out of its scabbard, and swapped off the pudding from the black knight's nose. Unfortunately (for him) he swapped off a good bit of the nose, too."
- 4 exchange or give (something) in exchange for wordnet
- 5 To beat the air, or ply the wings, with a sweeping motion or noise; to flap. obsolete, transitive
Show 1 more definition
- 6 To descend or fall; to rush hastily or violently. intransitive, obsolete
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Our policies and systems are getting outdated and need revising, but to try to swap horses while crossing a stream might be dangerous."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "swap"?
Common synonyms include: barter, switch, trade, ai changé, alternate, alternating.
How do you use "swap" in a sentence?
Our policies and systems are getting outdated and need revising, but to try to swap horses while crossing a stream might be dangerous.
How do you pronounce "swap"?
Pronounced /sʋap/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English swappen (“to swap”), originally meaning "to hurl" or "to strike", the word alludes to striking hands together when making an exchange; probably from Old English *swappian, a secondary form of Old English swāpan (“to swoop”). Cognate with German schwappen (“to slosh, slop”). Compare also Middle English swippen (“to strike, hit”), from Old English swipian (“to scourge, strike, beat, lash”), Old Norse svipa (“to swoop, flash, whip, look after, look around”). More at swipe.
Etymology 2
From the verb swap. First attested in 1620.
Etymology 3
From Middle English swap, swappe (“a blow, strike, lash from a whip”), from the verb (see Etymology 1 above).