barter

1 of 2

verb

bar·​ter ˈbär-tər 

bartered; bartering; barters

intransitive verb

: to trade by exchanging one commodity for another : to trade goods or services in exchange for other goods or services

farmers bartering for supplies with their crops

bartered with the store's owner

transitive verb

: to trade or exchange by or as if by bartering

bartering work for food

barterer

ˈbär-tər-ər 

noun

barter

2 of 2

noun

1

: the act or practice of trading goods or services for other goods or services : the act or practice of carrying on trade by bartering

2

: goods or services that are traded for other goods or services : the thing given in exchange in bartering

Synonyms

Noun

• back-and-forth
• commutation
• dicker
• exchange
• quid pro quo
• swap
• trade
• trade-off
• truck

Examples of barter in a Sentence

Noun

The tribes use a system of barter.

The explorers used blankets and other supplies for barter to get food from the native people.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The old town medina is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and crowds jostle to examine products laid out in the streets and hear the sound of bartering in more languages than can be named. —Elle Benson Easton, Travel + Leisure, 2 Nov. 2024

But states such as India and Egypt rejected the legitimacy of the UN embargo, and Beijing was able to barter (often on disadvantageous terms) with countries such as Indonesia and Sri Lanka in order to avoid isolation. —Timothy Nunan, Foreign Affairs, 10 Oct. 2017

Noun

Even golfers and soccer players, who sometimes chew gum, do not commonly have pockets full of loose seeds, or barter with children for bags of Nerds Gummy Clusters. —Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 29 Oct. 2024

Our last stop was Mattancherry, once home to the large spice markets where traders came to bid and barter. —Abraham Verghese, Travel + Leisure, 24 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English bartren, from Anglo-French *bareter to do business, exchange, alteration of Old French barater — more at barratry

Noun

Middle English, noun derivative of bartren "to barter entry 1"

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

barter

1 of 2 verb

bar·​ter ˈbärt-ər 

: to trade one thing for another without the use of money

barterer

ˈbärt-ər-ər 

noun

barter

2 of 2 noun

: the exchange of goods without the use of money

Legal Definition

barter

1 of 2 intransitive verb

bar·​ter ˈbär-tər 

: to trade by exchanging one commodity or service for another

transitive verb

: to trade or exchange by or as if by bartering compare sell

barter

2 of 2 noun

: the art or practice of carrying on trade or exchange by or as if by bartering : exchange of one commodity or service for another compare sale