Barter, however, was a very unsatisfactory system because people's needs seldom matched exactly.
Source: tatoeba (53511)
Barter
/ˈbɑɹtɚ/
Synonyms for "barter" (155 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (31)
Noun(10 words)
Strong matches (47)
brokeragebuy and sellbuying and sellingcedecessionchangecoaxconferconfermentconferralconsignconsignationconsignmentconveyconveyanceconveyancingdealdealingdeeddeed over
Show 17 more words
deedingdeliverdeliverancedeliverydemisedevolve upondickerdisposaldispositiondo businessdoing businessenfeoffenfeoffmenteven tradeexchangegivegive in exchange
Noun(6 words)
Related words (77)
give title togive-and-takegivinghandhand downhand onhand overhorse tradinghorse-tradeinterchangejobbinglease and releaselogrollingmake overmerchandisingnegotiatepasspass onpass overpork barrel
Show 32 more words
retailingsalesellsettlesettle onsettlementsettlingsign awaysign oversurrenderswapswap horsesswappingswitchtake in exchangetradetrade intrade offtrade sight unseentradingtraffictraffickingtransfertransferencetransmissiontransmittransmittaltruckturn overvestingwheeling and dealingwholesaling
Noun(13 words)
Determiner(1 words)
more exchange
Adjective(1 words)
noncyclic exchange
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: swap, trade, swop, abalienate, abalienation.
- Sentence evidence is available for barter, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wiktionary, wordnet, opengloss, moby, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "barter".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "barter"
Keep "barter" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "barter" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "barter", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "barter" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
15 entrieschangecommoditiescontractingeconomic activityeconomic systemeconomic transactionexchangefinancial arrangementgoodsinterchangenegotiationnoncash transactiontrade practice
More specific
15 entriesagricultural producebarter agreementbarter dealbarter programbarter transactioncountertradedelivery termsdirect barterhand toolsin kind settlementmachineryregional barter networksilent barterterm negotiationtextiles
Collocations
6 entriesbarter agreementbarter economybarter networkbarter systembarter transactionbartered goods
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
5 entriesTranslations
54 translations across 36 languages.
Albanian
1 entries- tregti noun (exchange of goods or services)
Arabic
1 entries- مُقَايَضَة noun (exchange of goods or services)
Armenian
2 entries- ապրանքափոխանակություն noun (exchange of goods or services)
- ապրանքների փոխանակություն noun (exchange of goods or services)
Bulgarian
2 entries- ба́ртер noun (exchange of goods or services)
- размя́на noun (exchange of goods or services)
Catalan
1 entries- bescanvi noun (exchange of goods or services)
Chinese Mandarin
4 entries- 以物換物 /以物换物 noun (exchange of goods or services)
- 以物易物 noun (exchange of goods or services)
- 實物交易 /实物交易 noun (exchange of goods or services)
- 物物交換 /物物交换 noun (exchange of goods or services)
Czech
3 entries- barterový obchod noun (exchange of goods or services)
- směnný obchod noun (exchange of goods or services)
- výměnný obchod noun (exchange of goods or services)
Danish
2 entries- byttehandel noun (exchange of goods or services)
- tuskhandel noun (exchange of goods or services)
Dutch
2 entries- ruil noun (exchange of goods or services)
- ruilhandel noun (exchange of goods or services)
Finnish
1 entries- vaihtokauppa noun (exchange of goods or services)
French
1 entries- troc noun (exchange of goods or services)
Galician
1 entries- troco noun (exchange of goods or services)
German
2 entries- Tauschgeschäft noun (exchange of goods or services)
- Tauschhandel noun (exchange of goods or services)
Hungarian
2 entries- csere noun (exchange of goods or services)
- cserekereskedelem noun (exchange of goods or services)
Indonesian
3 entries- barter noun (exchange of goods or services)
- imbal beli noun (exchange of goods or services)
- urup noun (exchange of goods or services)
Irish
1 entries- malairt noun (exchange of goods or services)
Italian
1 entries- baratto noun (exchange of goods or services)
Japanese
2 entries- バーター noun (exchange of goods or services)
- 物々交換 noun (exchange of goods or services)
Kaurna
1 entries- wakuinya noun (exchange of goods or services)
Korean
1 entries- 물물교환 noun (exchange of goods or services)
Macedonian
1 entries- трампа noun (exchange of goods or services)
Malay
1 entries- barter noun (exchange of goods or services)
Norwegian Bokmål
1 entries- byttehandel noun (exchange of goods or services)
Norwegian Nynorsk
1 entries- bytehandel noun (exchange of goods or services)
Persian
1 entries- مبادله noun (exchange of goods or services)
Plautdietsch
1 entries- Schacha noun (exchange of goods or services)
Polish
1 entries- barter noun (exchange of goods or services)
Portuguese
2 entries- escambo noun (exchange of goods or services)
- permuta noun (exchange of goods or services)
Russian
3 entries- ба́ртер noun (exchange of goods or services)
- менова́я торго́вля noun (exchange of goods or services)
- товарообме́н noun (exchange of goods or services)
Serbo-Croatian
2 entries- trampa noun (exchange of goods or services)
- трампа noun (exchange of goods or services)
Slovene
1 entries- blagovna menjava noun (exchange of goods or services)
Spanish
1 entries- trueque noun (exchange of goods or services)
Swedish
1 entries- byteshandel noun (exchange of goods or services)
Tagalog
1 entries- tuwayan noun (exchange of goods or services)
Turkish
1 entries- takas noun (exchange of goods or services)
Yiddish
1 entries- אויסבײַט noun (exchange of goods or services)
Sample sentences
15 total sentences available.
In primitive societies barter was used.
Source: tatoeba (239458)
All government is founded on compromise and barter.
Source: tatoeba (1856695)
Where did you barter them?
Source: tatoeba (1885414)
Showing 4 of 15 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "barter"?
Closest matches include swap, trade, swop, abalienate, abalienation.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "barter"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.