as in exchanges
to give up (something) and take something else in return
we swapped our other lawn mower for our neighbors' old snowblower
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in trades
a giving or taking of one thing of value in return for another
we made a swap: I'll do the dishes tonight and she'll do them for me tomorrow
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of swaps
Rylee Johnston, PEOPLE, 29 Apr. 2026
The Philips 1000 Series Touchscreen Key-free Electronic Deadbolt swaps a standard deadbolt with no wiring required.
—Stackcommerce Team, PC Magazine, 22 Apr. 2026
Here, chef Hugh Acheson swaps out the sugar for maple syrup and adds fresh marjoram and chiles, yielding an earthier dish with just the right amount of heat.
—Saveur Editors, Saveur, 15 Apr. 2026
In these images, Monroe swaps hyper-glam for vulnerability.
—Joshua John Miller, Vanity Fair, 9 Apr. 2026
Boston’s second-most common lineup since Tatum’s return, which swaps Pritchard in for Hauser alongside the other four starters, has outscored opponents by 56 points over 48 minutes.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 7 Apr. 2026
While strawberry shortcakes are usually made with biscuits, this recipe swaps them for tender little cakes baked in muffin tins.
—Victoria Spencer, Martha Stewart, 3 Apr. 2026
Louisianians know the pleasure of a cushaw, which swaps perfectly with pumpkin.
—Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 15 Mar. 2026
Sweet Caroline swaps the typical dinner-and-drinks routine for something way more interactive.
—Lauren Schuster, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2026
Michael MacKenzie, Bloomberg, 26 Apr. 2026
Designed for high-traffic service roles, the modular robot features reconfigurable faces and body panels for rapid character swaps.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 24 Apr. 2026
Treasury can provide its own version of swaps using its Exchange Stabilization Fund, though traditional swaps are most often offered by the Federal Reserve.
—Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 24 Apr. 2026
Almost every week there are VHS swaps across the city, where collectors and vendors, who connect on social media apps like Instagram, come together to offer tapes to both seasoned and curious onlookers.
—Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
The group is made up of medical and graduate students and hosts events throughout the year across Atlanta, including gardening projects, clothing swaps and cleanups in communities like the West End.
—Jamal Goss, CBS News, 22 Apr. 2026
Online organic grocer Thrive Market even has a healthy swaps feature in its app that lets users scan the barcodes of mainstays to find more purportedly virtuous brands.
—Sarah Todd, STAT, 22 Apr. 2026
He’s made double-digit swaps of picks in the previous five drafts.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 21 Apr. 2026
That would allow the Heat essentially to offer three first-round picks and three pick swaps, along with players.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 20 Apr. 2026
Verb
Peet’s character swaps out baggy pants and an oversized sweatshirt for relaxed joggers (similar to this pair at Amazon) and a structured tunic-length pullover like this option from Quince.
—Rylee Johnston, PEOPLE, 29 Apr. 2026
The Philips 1000 Series Touchscreen Key-free Electronic Deadbolt swaps a standard deadbolt with no wiring required.
—Stackcommerce Team, PC Magazine, 22 Apr. 2026
Here, chef Hugh Acheson swaps out the sugar for maple syrup and adds fresh marjoram and chiles, yielding an earthier dish with just the right amount of heat.
—Saveur Editors, Saveur, 15 Apr. 2026
In these images, Monroe swaps hyper-glam for vulnerability.
—Joshua John Miller, Vanity Fair, 9 Apr. 2026
Boston’s second-most common lineup since Tatum’s return, which swaps Pritchard in for Hauser alongside the other four starters, has outscored opponents by 56 points over 48 minutes.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 7 Apr. 2026
While strawberry shortcakes are usually made with biscuits, this recipe swaps them for tender little cakes baked in muffin tins.
—Victoria Spencer, Martha Stewart, 3 Apr. 2026
Louisianians know the pleasure of a cushaw, which swaps perfectly with pumpkin.
—Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 15 Mar. 2026
Sweet Caroline swaps the typical dinner-and-drinks routine for something way more interactive.
—Lauren Schuster, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2026
Noun
On Friday, swaps markets reflected around a 40% chance of a reduction by then, rising from about 20% after the Justice Department dropped its investigation into the Fed.
—Michael MacKenzie, Bloomberg, 26 Apr. 2026
Designed for high-traffic service roles, the modular robot features reconfigurable faces and body panels for rapid character swaps.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 24 Apr. 2026
Treasury can provide its own version of swaps using its Exchange Stabilization Fund, though traditional swaps are most often offered by the Federal Reserve.
—Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 24 Apr. 2026
Almost every week there are VHS swaps across the city, where collectors and vendors, who connect on social media apps like Instagram, come together to offer tapes to both seasoned and curious onlookers.
—Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
The group is made up of medical and graduate students and hosts events throughout the year across Atlanta, including gardening projects, clothing swaps and cleanups in communities like the West End.
—Jamal Goss, CBS News, 22 Apr. 2026
Online organic grocer Thrive Market even has a healthy swaps feature in its app that lets users scan the barcodes of mainstays to find more purportedly virtuous brands.
—Sarah Todd, STAT, 22 Apr. 2026
He’s made double-digit swaps of picks in the previous five drafts.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 21 Apr. 2026
That would allow the Heat essentially to offer three first-round picks and three pick swaps, along with players.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 20 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swaps
Verb
-
To address the challenge, the team designed a swap gate based purely on geometric phases, that exchanges the quantum state of two qubits.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Dorian Gray, the Victorian era’s proto-Clavicular, literally exchanges his soul for eternal youth and beauty—a move that the looksmaxxing community would seem to endorse wholeheartedly.—
Thomas Chatterton Williams,
The Atlantic,
19 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Now trades again will matter, will have to matter.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Some critics argue that the clean energy transition simply trades one dependency for another, shifting reliance from fossil fuels controlled by unstable actors to supply chains heavily concentrated in China.—
Jennifer Granholm,
semafor.com,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Agreed, but this bill substitutes the long, painstaking and complex work of fixing California’s troubled insurance market with finger-pointing and posturing.—
Steven Greenhut,
Oc Register,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Rosenson said that if CRISPR is a scissor that cuts both strands of DNA, base editing is an eraser that substitutes one chemical letter, or base, in a single strand of DNA.—
David Cox,
NBC news,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Naming one boundary or expectation changes the tone.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
30 Apr. 2026
-
This is where Physical AI changes the equation.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Swaps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swaps. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
