ENGLISH
REFERENCE

transfer

n. C / U
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford US //ˈtɹænsfɝ// trans·fer Academic General-service

n. the act of moving someone or something from one place, person, or group to another. You use this for things like moving money between bank accounts or a player moving to a new sports team.

n. the act or process of moving someone or something from one location, position, or ownership to another. Often used in legal, financial, or athletic contexts to describe the formal conveyance of rights or personnel.


SIMPLE

The bank charges a small fee for every wire transfer.

CONTEXTUAL

The football club confirmed the record-breaking transfer of their star striker to a rival team this morning.

COMPLEX

Legal experts argued that the transfer of property rights was invalid because the original contract lacked a clear signature from the primary executor.

Synonyms
Origin

From Latin trānsferō (“I bear across”). Distant doublet of translate. See also collate and confer, delate and defer, as well as prelate and prefer among others.

Usage

Countable when referring to specific instances (e.g., 'three transfers'); uncountable when referring to the general process of moving data or assets.

Pitfall

I did a transfer of money to himI transferred money to himWhile 'transfer' is a noun, learners often use a wordy noun phrase when the verb form is more natural and direct.

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