English Reference

Word

transfer

Phoneticstrans·fer, stress on the first syllable

/ˈtɹænsfɝ/

Definitions

01to move something

B1 · Intermediate

v. to move someone or something from one place to another.

v. to convey or shift an object, person, or data from one location or context to another. Transitive in this sense.

“I need to transfer my photos from my phone to my computer.”

“The IT department will transfer all legacy data to the new cloud server over the weekend to ensure a seamless transition for the staff.”

Antonyms

02to change jobs or schools

B1 · Intermediate

v. to move to a different department, office, or school.

v. to relocate professionally or academically to a different branch, department, or institution.

“She decided to transfer to the London office to be closer to her family.”

“After completing his sophomore year, the student opted to transfer to a university with a more robust research programme in molecular biology.”

Synonyms

Antonyms

03to hand over control

B2 · Upper Intermediate Law Formal

v. to officially give money, property, or power to someone else.

v. to legally or formally assign ownership, rights, or responsibility to another party.

“He transferred the money to his sister's bank account yesterday.”

“The deed of the property was officially transferred to the trust following the finalisation of the probate proceedings.”

Synonyms

assignbequeathhand over

Antonyms

04the act of moving

B1 · Intermediate Uncountable noun

n. the act of moving something or someone to a new place.

n. the process or instance of conveying something from one person, place, or situation to another.

“The bank charges a small fee for every international wire transfer.”

“The patient's transfer to the intensive care unit was handled with extreme caution due to his unstable respiratory condition.”

Antonyms

05sports player move

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Sports

n. a professional player who moves from one team to another.

n. the relocation of a professional athlete between clubs, often involving a contractual buyout or fee.

“The team's new transfer scored a goal in his very first game.”

“The club broke its previous spending record to secure the transfer of the young striker before the summer window closed.”

Synonyms

06transport connection

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun

n. a ticket or a place where you change from one bus or train to another.

n. an instance of changing between public transport vehicles, or the document permitting such a change.

“We have a two-hour transfer in Chicago before our flight to New York.”

“The city's integrated transit system allows passengers to use a single transfer for both the subway and the bus network within a ninety-minute window.”

Collocations

Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “transfer” in context.

Verb

01. facilitate transfer

“The new software was designed to facilitate the transfer of large files between departments.”

verb + noun

Noun

02. transfer involve

“The data transfer involved several encrypted servers to ensure maximum security.”

noun + verb

Real-World Examples

“If Fernandez did join City for £120m it would make it the fourth biggest transfer in football history.”
BBC News 14 Aug 2026
“The state's forest department has since begun investigating how the gibbon came to be at a private home and whether rules governing its possession and transfer were followed.”
BBC News 13 Aug 2026
“The account confirmed lots of other Instagram profiles help people to cross to Ceuta in this way, and asked for payment "via bank account" with a specific money transfer service.”
BBC News 14 Aug 2026
“As is practice, he was given two weeks to appeal the sentence, or to transfer, sell or give away his stock.”
BBC News 14 Aug 2026

Etymology

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.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Word family

VERB

transfer(B2)

Related words

Domains

LawLinguisticsMedicineSports

This entry

Exam level
CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
Frequency
Common
Level
B2 · Upper IntermediateOxford
Updated

QR code

englishreference.com/q/transfer

English Reference