name · noun · verb · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
UK:/ˈbɑː.(ɹ)tə(ɹ)/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
US:bärʹtər
US:/ˈbɑɹ.tɚ/
US:[ˈbɑɹ.ɾɚ]
rhymes with -ɑː(ɹ)tə(ɹ)
CMU ARPABET:B AA1 R T ER0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
name
Meaning 1
A surname.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
An exchange of goods or services without the use of money.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable, usually
Examples
We had no money so we had to live by barter.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
The goods or services used in such an exchange.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable, usually
Examples
The man used his watch as barter to pay for his tab.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
verb
Meaning 4
To exchange goods or services without involving money.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: ambitransitive
Examples
She bartered a bonsai for one of the rare books in my library.
You may be able to barter for some of the items you need at the local market.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
an equal exchange
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
we had no money so we had to live by barter
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: swap, swop, trade
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: exchange, interchange
Narrower terms: horse trade, horse trading
6
verb
Meaning 6
exchange goods without involving money
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: exchange, change, interchange
History
Etymology
Late Middle English, from Old French barater.
Across languages
Translations
91 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Albanian:
tregti
— exchange of goods or services
Arabic:
مُقَايَضَة
(muqāyaḍa)
— exchange of goods or services
Armenian:
ապրանքափոխանակություն
(aprankʻapʻoxanakutʻyun)
— exchange of goods or services
Armenian:
ապրանքների փոխանակություն
(aprankʻneri pʻoxanakutʻyun)
— exchange of goods or services
Bulgarian:
размя́на
(razmjána)
— exchange of goods or services
Bulgarian:
ба́ртер
(bárter)
— exchange of goods or services
Catalan:
bescanvi
— exchange of goods or services
Chinese Mandarin:
以物易物
(yǐwùyìwù)
— exchange of goods or services
Chinese Mandarin:
物物交換 /物物交换
(wùwù jiāohuàn)
— exchange of goods or services
Chinese Mandarin:
以物換物 /以物换物
(yǐwùhuànwù)
— exchange of goods or services
Chinese Mandarin:
實物交易 /实物交易
(shíwù jiāoyì)
— exchange of goods or services
Czech:
směnný obchod
— exchange of goods or services
Czech:
výměnný obchod
— exchange of goods or services
Czech:
barterový obchod
— exchange of goods or services
Danish:
byttehandel
— exchange of goods or services
Danish:
tuskhandel
— exchange of goods or services
Dutch:
ruil
— exchange of goods or services
Dutch:
ruilhandel
— exchange of goods or services
Finnish:
vaihtokauppa
— exchange of goods or services
French:
troc
— exchange of goods or services
Galician:
troco
— exchange of goods or services
German:
Tauschhandel
— exchange of goods or services
German:
Tauschgeschäft
— exchange of goods or services
Hungarian:
csere
— exchange of goods or services
Hungarian:
cserekereskedelem
— exchange of goods or services
Indonesian:
barter
— exchange of goods or services
Indonesian:
urup
— exchange of goods or services
Indonesian:
imbal beli
— exchange of goods or services
Irish:
malairt
— exchange of goods or services
Italian:
baratto
— exchange of goods or services
Japanese:
物々交換
(butsubutsu kōkan)
— exchange of goods or services
Japanese:
バーター
(bātā)
— exchange of goods or services
Kaurna:
wakuinya
— exchange of goods or services
Korean:
물물교환
(mulmulgyohwan)
— exchange of goods or services
Macedonian:
трампа
(trampa)
— exchange of goods or services
Malay:
barter
— exchange of goods or services
Norwegian Bokmål:
byttehandel
— exchange of goods or services
Norwegian Nynorsk:
bytehandel
— exchange of goods or services
Persian:
مبادله
(mobâdele)
— exchange of goods or services
Plautdietsch:
Schacha
— exchange of goods or services
Polish:
barter
— exchange of goods or services
Portuguese:
permuta
— exchange of goods or services
Portuguese:
escambo
— exchange of goods or services
Russian:
ба́ртер
(bártɛr)
— exchange of goods or services
Russian:
товарообме́н
(tovaroobmén)
— exchange of goods or services
Russian:
менова́я торго́вля
(menovája torgóvlja)
— exchange of goods or services
Serbo-Croatian:
трампа
— exchange of goods or services
Serbo-Croatian:
trampa
— exchange of goods or services
Slovene:
blagovna menjava
— exchange of goods or services
Spanish:
trueque
— exchange of goods or services
Swedish:
byteshandel
— exchange of goods or services
Tagalog:
tuwayan
— exchange of goods or services
Turkish:
takas
— exchange of goods or services
Yiddish:
אויסבײַט
(oysbayt)
— exchange of goods or services
Chinese Mandarin:
易貨貿易 /易货贸易
(yìhuò màoyì)
— goods or services
Finnish:
vaihtokauppa
— goods or services
German:
Tauschware
— goods or services
Portuguese:
bem
— goods or services
Albanian:
ndërroj
— exchange goods or services without involving money
Arabic:
قايض
— exchange goods or services without involving money
Armenian:
ապրանքներ փոխանակել
(aprankʻner pʻoxanakel)
— exchange goods or services without involving money
Bau Bidayuh:
sami'
— exchange goods or services without involving money
Bulgarian:
разменям
(razmenjam)
— exchange goods or services without involving money
Bulgarian:
правя бартер
— exchange goods or services without involving money
Chinese Mandarin:
以物易物
(yǐwùyìwù)
— exchange goods or services without involving money
Chinese Mandarin:
物物交換 /物物交换
(wùwù jiāohuàn)
— exchange goods or services without involving money
Chinese Mandarin:
以物換物 /以物换物
(yǐwùhuànwù)
— exchange goods or services without involving money
Chinese Mandarin:
實物交易 /实物交易
(shíwù jiāoyì)
— exchange goods or services without involving money
Dutch:
ruilen
— exchange goods or services without involving money
Dutch:
ruilebuiten
— exchange goods or services without involving money
Finnish:
tehdä vaihtokauppa
— exchange goods or services without involving money
Finnish:
vaihtaa
— exchange goods or services without involving money
French:
troquer
— exchange goods or services without involving money
Galician:
trocar
— exchange goods or services without involving money
German:
tauschen
— exchange goods or services without involving money
Gothic:
𐌺𐌰𐌿𐍀𐍉𐌽
(kaupōn)
— exchange goods or services without involving money
Greek:
ανταλλάσσω
(antallásso)
— exchange goods or services without involving money
Hawaiian:
kūʻai
— exchange goods or services without involving money
Hungarian:
elcserél
— exchange goods or services without involving money
Italian:
barattare
— exchange goods or services without involving money
Khmer:
ដូរ
(dou)
— exchange goods or services without involving money
Māori:
tauhokohoko
— exchange goods or services without involving money
Persian:
مبادله کردن
(mobâdele kardan)
— exchange goods or services without involving money
Portuguese:
trocar
— exchange goods or services without involving money
Russian:
проводи́ть ба́ртерные сде́лки
(provodítʹ bártɛrnyje sdélki)
— exchange goods or services without involving money
Serbo-Croatian:
trampiti
— exchange goods or services without involving money
Slovene:
menjati
— exchange goods or services without involving money
Slovene:
trgovati
— exchange goods or services without involving money
Spanish:
trocar
— exchange goods or services without involving money
Swedish:
idka byteshandel
— exchange goods or services without involving money
Vietnamese:
đổi
— exchange goods or services without involving money