# swap

/ˈswɑp/ (US) · /swˈɒp/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/swap
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. to exchange

verb · CEFR B1

to give something to someone and receive something else from them.

For teachers: to exchange one thing for another; often used transitively with 'for' or 'with'.

- I swapped my sandwich for her apple because I wasn't very hungry.
- The two collectors decided to swap their duplicate stamps to help each other complete their respective albums.

Usage: Often used with the preposition 'for' to indicate the item received.

### 2. an exchange

noun · CEFR B1

an act of giving one thing and receiving another.

For teachers: the act of exchanging two comparable things or people.

- We did a quick swap of seats so that he could sit next to the window.
- The manager suggested a personnel swap between the marketing and sales departments to encourage fresh perspectives.

### 3. financial contract

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

a special agreement between two companies to trade different types of payments.

For teachers: a derivative contract through which two parties exchange the cash flows or liabilities from two different financial instruments.

- The company entered into an interest rate swap to lower its borrowing costs.
- Institutional investors often use currency swaps to hedge against potential fluctuations in foreign exchange rates.

### 4. computing memory

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

space on a computer's hard drive used as extra memory when the main memory is full.

For teachers: the use of a hard disk as virtual memory to store data that cannot fit in the physical RAM.

- The computer slowed down because it was using too much swap space.
- The system administrator increased the swap partition to prevent the server from crashing during peak processing hours.

Usage: Often used as an uncountable noun in this context.

## Examples

- I will swap my sandwich for your apple.
- The two collectors decided to swap their duplicate stamps to complete their respective sets.
- In high-frequency trading environments, systems may swap data packets across multiple nodes to ensure that processing loads remain balanced during periods of extreme market volatility.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.