swap
gb/swˈɑp/ us/swˈɑp/
B1
English
~ 7400
cserél, elcserél, kicserél, felcserél, lecserél, lapoz, swappel, csere, csereügylet, swapügylet
VERB
B1
1
Usage pattern:
to swap [something] (with [someone]) / to swap [A] for [B]
If you like, we can swap seats so you can sit by the window.
Ha szeretnéd, helyet cserélhetünk, hogy az ablak mellé ülhess.
They swapped phone numbers at the end of the meeting.
A megbeszélés végén telefonszámot cseréltek.
I’ll swap you my Friday shift for your Sunday shift.
On the last day of camp, the kids swapped email addresses and photos.
The two teams swapped players as part of the deal.
Learner examples
Can we swap rooms? I want the bigger one.
Cserélhetünk szobát? A nagyobbat szeretném.
She swapped her red scarf for his blue hat.
Elcserélte a piros sálját a férfi kék kalapjára.
The brothers swapped toys after dinner.
I don’t like this dessert. Do you want to swap with me?
Let’s swap phone numbers so we can talk later.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say *"swap to"* instead of *"swap with"* or *"swap for"*. Use *swap with [someone]* when two people exchange things (e.g., "I swapped seats with her"), and *swap [A] for [B]* when one thing is changed to another (e.g., "I swapped my coffee for tea").
Meaning
exchange one thing for another
Collocations
swap seats
|swap places
|swap roles
|swap shifts
|swap stories
|swap ideas
Synonyms
exchange (Slightly more formal and general; used in more careful or written English.)
|
trade (Common in informal speech; often used for swapping items like cards or jobs.)
Antonyms
keep (You keep something when you do not give it up or exchange it.)
Themes
daily life
|work
|communication
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To give one thing and get another thing in its place, often with another person.
To give something and receive something else in return, so that two people, things, or positions are exchanged.
VERB
B2
2
Usage pattern:
to swap [something] out / to swap [something] for [something]
You should swap out the batteries; these ones are almost dead.
Ki kellene cserélned az elemeket; ezek már majdnem lemerültek.
Let’s swap the order of the slides so the data comes first.
Cseréljük fel a diák sorrendjét, hogy előbb az adatok jöjjenek.
I’m going to swap the sofa for two smaller chairs to make more space.
Most users just swap the hard drive and keep everything else the same.
We swapped the sugar for honey in this recipe to make it healthier.
Learner examples
Please swap out this light bulb. It is broken.
Kérlek, cseréld ki ezt az izzót. Kiégett.
I will swap this chair for a more comfortable one.
Lecserélem ezt a széket egy kényelmesebbre.
Can we swap the time of the meeting to the afternoon?
He swapped the big table for a small desk.
She swapped her winter tires for summer tires.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse this with the mutual exchange sense and say *"swap with"* when no other person is involved. For replacing something, say *"swap out [something]"* or *"swap [something] for [something else]", not *"swap with"*.
Meaning
replace one thing with another
Collocations
swap out the battery
|swap the wheels
|swap the old one for a new one
|swap ingredients
|swap the order
|swap the cables
Synonyms
replace (More formal and general; does not suggest a casual or quick change as strongly as "swap" sometimes does.)
|
switch (Very similar but slightly more informal; often used when changing between two options.)
Antonyms
keep (You keep something when you choose not to change or replace it.)
Themes
daily life
|technology
|work
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To remove one thing and put another thing there instead.
To take something away and put a different thing in its place, especially to improve it or change how it works.
VERB
C1
TECHNICAL
3
Usage pattern:
to swap [data/pages] in/out
If the system starts swapping heavily, overall performance will drop.
Ha a rendszer erősen lapozni kezd, az általános teljesítmény visszaesik.
The kernel will swap inactive pages to disk when memory is low.
Kevés memória esetén a kernel az inaktív lapokat lemezre lapozza.
We increased the swap space so the server could handle more users.
On this device, the operating system does not swap to disk at all.
Swapping data in and out of memory creates noticeable lag in older machines.
Learner examples
The old computer is slow because it is always swapping to disk.
A régi számítógép azért lassú, mert folyton a lemezre lapoz.
Linux can swap memory pages to a swap file.
A Linux memórialapokat tud swapfájlba lapozni.
When there is little RAM, the system starts swapping a lot.
The engineer added more swap space to the server.
This phone does not swap memory like a desktop computer.
Meaning
move data between memory and disk
Collocations
swap space
|swap file
|swap partition
|swap out pages
|swap into memory
|heavily swapping
Synonyms
page (More specific technical term used in operating systems, referring to moving memory pages between RAM and disk.)
Themes
technology
|computing
Definition
In computers, to move data from memory to disk or back, so the computer has enough free memory to work.
In computing, to move data between main memory and secondary storage, usually to free up memory for other processes.
NOUN
B1
4
csere
A2
Usage pattern:
a swap (with [someone]) / do a swap / make a swap
We did a simple swap: my bike for his old laptop.
Egyszerű cserét csináltunk: az én biciklimet adtam az ő régi laptopjáért.
The two managers agreed on a staff swap for three months.
A két menedzser három hónapos munkatárscserében állapodott meg.
As kids, we were always doing sticker swaps in the playground.
I’m happy with the swap; this jacket fits me much better.
They organized a neighborhood clothes swap to cut waste.
Learner examples
The teacher asked if anyone wanted a seat swap.
A tanár megkérdezte, szeretne-e valaki helyet cserélni.
We made a swap: my book for her game.
Cseréltünk: az én könyvem az ő játékáért.
That is not a fair swap. Your toy is worth more.
They did a job swap for one week.
Let’s have a book swap at the end of the month.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say *"make a swap with"* when a simpler phrase is enough. Both *"do a swap"* and *"make a swap"* are used, but often you can just say *"We swapped"* as a verb.
Meaning
an act of exchanging things
Collocations
a fair swap
|do a swap
|make a swap
|a seat swap
|a job swap
|clothes swap
Synonyms
exchange (Slightly more formal; used more often in written English and business contexts.)
|
trade (More informal, common with children or casual situations, e.g. "card trade".)
Antonyms
gift (In a gift, something is given without receiving something in return, the opposite of a swap.)
Themes
daily life
|business
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A time when people give things to each other and each person gets something else.
An act of giving one thing and receiving another in return, so that two people or things are exchanged.
NOUN
C1
TECHNICAL
5
csereügylet
C2
swapügylet
C2
Usage pattern:
an interest rate swap / a currency swap / enter into a swap
The company used an interest rate swap to hedge against rising borrowing costs.
A vállalat kamatcsereügyletet használt, hogy fedezze magát az emelkedő hitelköltségek ellen.
Banks actively trade currency swaps to manage their foreign exchange exposure.
A bankok aktívan kereskednek devizacsereügyletekkel, hogy kezeljék devizakitettségüket.
After the crisis, regulators increased reporting requirements for swap contracts.
They entered into a five-year swap to convert their floating-rate debt to a fixed rate.
Credit default swaps played a major role in the 2008 financial crisis.
Learner examples
The bank sold the company an interest rate swap.
A bank kamatcsereügyletet adott el a vállalatnak.
A currency swap lets two parties exchange payments in different money types.
A devizacsereügyletben két fél különböző pénznemű fizetéseket cserélhet.
Big companies often use swaps to reduce financial risk.
In this swap, one side pays a fixed rate and gets a floating rate.
Swaps are complex financial products for advanced investors.
Meaning
financial contract to exchange cash flows
Collocations
interest rate swap
|currency swap
|credit default swap
|swap contract
|swap agreement
|swap market
Synonyms
derivative (More general; a broader category of financial products that includes swaps.)
Themes
business
|finance
Definition
In finance, an agreement where two people or companies regularly give money or debt payments to each other instead of to someone else.
A financial derivative contract in which two parties agree to exchange cash flows, interest payments, currencies, or other financial instruments over a set period.
Grammar
Dictionary form
swap
IPA
GB/swˈɑp/
US/swˈɑp/
Syllables & stress
swap (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (swap)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: swap
- Plural: swaps
Verb
- Base: swap
- 3rd Person Singular: swaps
- Present Participle: swapping
- Past: swapped
Word family
Forms
swaps
noun
swapping
verb
swapped
verb
Related words
swappable
adjective
Highlights
- Irregular present participle: swapping Verb
- Irregular past: swapped Verb
Expressions
swap around
1/swˈɑp ɚˈaʊnd/
phrasal verb
rearrange things by changing positions
To move several things into different places so their order or position changes.
Examples
- We swapped the desks around to make more space in the middle.
- If the schedule doesn’t work, we can swap the meetings around.
- Try swapping the icons around until the screen feels less crowded.
swap in
1/swˈɑp ˈɪn/
phrasal verb
insert something as a replacement
To put a new or different thing into a place where another thing was before.
Examples
- Once the test is done, we’ll swap in the new module.
- You can swap in fresh herbs at the end for more flavor.
- The coach swapped in three new players after halftime.
swap notes
1/swˈɑp nˈoʊts/
fixed phrase
compare information or experiences
For people to talk and share what they know or what happened to them, to compare experiences or information.
Examples
- Teachers met after the conference to swap notes on the new curriculum.
- The two teams swapped notes before the final presentation.
- New parents love to swap notes about sleep and feeding routines.
swap out
1/swˈɑp ˈaʊt/
phrasal verb
remove and replace something
To take something out and put a different thing in its place.
Examples
- You can swap out the hard drive without turning off the computer.
- We swapped out the old logo for a cleaner, modern design.
- The mechanic quickly swapped out the flat tire and sent us on our way.
swap over
1/swˈɑp ˈoʊvɚ/
phrasal verb
change positions of two things
To move two things so that each goes into the other’s place.
Examples
- Let’s swap over the cables and see if that fixes the sound.
- They swapped over the front and back tires to even out the wear.
- If the photos look wrong, try swapping them over on the page.
swap places
1/swˈɑp plˈeɪsɪz/
fixed phrase
two people exchange positions
For two people to change where they sit, stand, or sometimes their situation, so that each takes the other’s place.
Examples
- Could we swap places so I can sit next to my friend?
- The actors swapped places in the second half of the play as a joke.
- Sometimes I wish we could swap places and you could see how hard this job is.
swap roles
1/swˈɑp ɹˈoʊlz/
fixed phrase
two people exchange roles
For two people to change jobs or responsibilities with each other.
Examples
- For this exercise, the manager and the intern will swap roles.
- Parents and children swapped roles for the day as part of the TV show.
- In the next scene, the two presenters swap roles and interview each other.
swap stories
1/swˈɑp stˈɔɹiz/
fixed phrase
tell each other stories
For people to tell each other stories one after another, often about similar experiences.
Examples
- We sat around the fire and swapped stories late into the night.
- After the trip, everyone swapped stories about their favorite moments.
- Old friends met at the bar to swap stories from their college days.
swap tips
1/swˈɑp tˈɪps/
fixed phrase
exchange practical advice
For people to share and compare small pieces of useful advice with each other.
Examples
- The group meets online to swap tips about saving money.
- Chefs from different countries swapped tips on cooking with local ingredients.
- New users can swap tips in the forum to learn faster.