Exchange vs. Return — What's the Difference?

An act of giving one thing and receiving another (especially of the same kind) in return

To go or come back, as to an earlier condition or place

The changing of money to its equivalent in the currency of another country

To revert in speech, thought, or practice

A short conversation or an argument

To revert to a former owner.

Short for telephone exchange

To answer or respond

A move or short sequence of moves in which both players capture material of comparable value, or particularly the exchange in which one captures a rook in return for a knight or bishop.

To send, put, or carry back

Give something and receive something of the same kind in return

To give or send back in reciprocation

To give in return for something received; trade

To give back to the owner

To give and receive reciprocally; interchange

To reflect or send back

To give up for a substitute

To produce or yield (profit or interest) as a payment for labor, investment, or expenditure.

To turn in for replacement

To submit (an official report, for example) to a judge or other person in authority.

To give something in return for something received; make an exchange.

To render or deliver (a writ or verdict, for example) to the proper officer or court of law.

To be received in exchange

To elect or reelect, as to a legislative body.

The act or an instance of exchanging

(Games) To respond to (a partner's lead) by leading the same suit in cards.

One that is exchanged.

(Architecture) To turn away from or place at an angle to the previous line of direction.

A place or network for exchanging things, especially a center where securities or commodities are bought and sold.

(Sports) To hit or send back (a tennis ball, for example) to one's opponent.

A telephone exchange.

(Football) To run with (the ball) after a kickoff, punt, interception, or fumble.

A system of payments using instruments, such as negotiable drafts, instead of money.

The act or condition of going, coming, bringing, or sending back

The fee or percentage charged for participating in such a system of payment.

The act of bringing or sending something back to a previous place, condition, or owner

A bill of exchange.

Something brought or sent back.

A rate of exchange.

Returns Merchandise returned, as to a retailer by a consumer or to a wholesaler by a retailer.

The amount of difference in the actual value of two or more currencies or between values of the same currency at two or more places.

Something that goes or comes back.

A dialogue

A recurrence, as of a periodic occasion or event

Of or relating to a reciprocal arrangement between a local and a foreign institution or group

Something exchanged for that received; repayment.

An act of exchanging or trading.

A reply; a response.

A place for conducting trading.

The profit made on an exchange of goods.

A telephone exchange.

Often returns A profit or yield, as from labor or investments.

The fourth through sixth digits of a ten-digit phone number (the first three before the introduction of area codes).

Output or yield per unit rather than cost per unit, as in the manufacturing of a particular product.

A conversation.

A report, list, or set of statistics, especially one that is formal or official.

(chess) The loss of one piece and associated capture of another.

Often returns A report on the vote in an election.

(usually with "the") The loss of a minor piece (typically a bishop or knight) and associated capture of the more advantageous rook.

Chiefly British An election.

(obsolete) The thing given or received in return; especially, a publication exchanged for another.

(Games) A lead in certain card games that responds to the lead of one's partner.

(biochemistry) The transfer of substances or elements like gas, amino-acids, ions etc. sometimes through a surface like a membrane.

The act of hitting or sending the ball back to one's opponent.

(finance) The difference between the values of money in different places.

The ball thus sent back.

Clipping of exchange of contracts

The act of running back the ball after a kickoff, punt, interception, or fumble.

(transitive) To trade or barter.

The yardage so gained.

To mutually direct at each other.

The extension of a molding, projection, or other part at an angle (usually 90°) to the main part.

(transitive) To replace with, as a substitute.

A part of a building set at an angle to the façade.

Clipping of exchange contracts

A turn, bend, or similar reversal of direction, as in a stream or road.

(transitive) To recommend and get recommendations.

A pipe or conduit for carrying something, especially water, back to its starting point.

The act of giving or taking one thing in return for another which is regarded as an equivalent; as, an exchange of cattle for grain.

The key or mechanism on a machine, such as a typewriter, that positions the carriage or printing element at the beginning of a new line.

The act of substituting one thing in the place of another; as, an exchange of grief for joy, or of a scepter for a sword, and the like; also, the act of giving and receiving reciprocally; as, an exchange of civilities or views.

A key on a computer keyboard or keypad used to begin a new line or paragraph in a text editor.

The thing given or received in return; esp., a publication exchanged for another.

Chiefly British A roundtrip ticket.

The process of setting accounts or debts between parties residing at a distance from each other, without the intervention of money, by exchanging orders or drafts, called bills of exchange. These may be drawn in one country and payable in another, in which case they are called foreign bills; or they may be drawn and made payable in the same country, in which case they are called inland bills. The term bill of exchange is often abbreviated into exchange; as, to buy or sell exchange.

The bringing or sending back of a writ, subpoena, or other document, generally with a short written report on it, by a sheriff or other officer to the court from which it was issued.

A mutual grant of equal interests, the one in consideration of the other. Estates exchanged must be equal in quantity, as fee simple for fee simple.

A certified report by an assessor, election officer, collector, or other official.

The place where the merchants, brokers, and bankers of a city meet at certain hours, to transact business; also, the institution which sets regulations and maintains the physical facilities of such a place; as, the New York Stock Exchange; a commodity exchange. In this sense the word was at one time often contracted to 'change

A formal tax statement on the required official form indicating taxable income, allowed deductions, exemptions, and the computed tax that is due. Also called income tax return, tax return.

To part with give, or transfer to another in consideration of something received as an equivalent; - usually followed by for before the thing received.

Of, relating to, or bringing about a going or coming back to a place or situation

To part with for a substitute; to lay aside, quit, or resign (something being received in place of the thing parted with); as, to exchange a palace for cell.

Given, sent, or done in reciprocation or exchange

To give and receive reciprocally, as things of the same kind; to barter; to swap; as, to exchange horses with a neighbor; to exchange houses or hats.

Performed, presented, or taking place again

To be changed or received in exchange for; to pass in exchange; as, dollar exchanges for ten dimes.

Returning or affording return or recirculation

Chemical process in which one atom or ion or group changes places with another

Reversing or changing direction.

A mutual expression of views (especially an unpleasant one);

Having or formed by a reversal or change in direction; returning on itself, as a bend in a road or stream.

The act of changing one thing for another thing;

(intransitive) To come or go back (to a place or person).

The act of giving something in return for something received;

(intransitive) To go back in thought, narration, or argument.

A workplace that serves as a telecommunications facility where lines from telephones can be connected together to permit communication

(intransitive) To recur; to come again.

A workplace for buying and selling; open only to members

To turn back, retreat.

(sports) an unbroken sequence of several successive strokes;

To turn (something) round.

Reciprocal transfer of equivalent sums of money especially the currencies of different countries;

(transitive) To place or put back something where it had been.

The act of putting one thing or person in the place of another:

(transitive) To give something back to its original holder or owner.

(chess) gaining (or losing) a rook in return for a knight or bishop;

(transitive) To take back something to a vendor for a complete or partial refund.

(chess) the capture by both players (usually on consecutive moves) of pieces of equal value;

To give in requital or recompense; to requite.

Give to, and receive from, one another;

(tennis) To bat the ball back over the net in response to a serve.

Exchange or replace with another, usually of the same kind or category;

(card games) To play a card as a result of another player's lead.

Change over, change around, or switch over

(cricket) To throw a ball back to the wicket-keeper (or a fielder at that position) from somewhere in the field.

Hand over one and receive another, approximately equivalent;

(transitive) To say in reply; to respond.

Exchange a penalty for a less severe one

To relinquish control to the calling procedure.

To pass (data) back to the calling procedure.

To retort; to throw back.

(transitive) To report, or bring back and make known.

To elect according to the official report of the election officers.

The act of returning.

A return ticket.

An item that is returned, e.g. due to a defect, or the act of returning it.

An answer.

An account, or formal report, of an action performed, of a duty discharged, of facts or statistics, etc.; especially, in the plural, a set of tabulated statistics prepared for general information.

Gain or loss from an investment.

A report of income submitted to a government for purposes of specifying exact tax payment amounts; a tax return.

(computing) A carriage return character.

(computing) The act of relinquishing control to the calling procedure.

(computing) A return value: the data passed back from a called procedure.

A return pipe, returning fluid to a boiler or other central plant (compare with flow pipe, which carries liquid away from a central plant).

A short perpendicular extension of a desk, usually slightly lower.

(American football) The act of catching a ball after a punt and running it back towards the opposing team.

(cricket) A throw from a fielder to the wicket-keeper or to another fielder at the wicket.

(architecture) The continuation in a different direction, most often at a right angle, of a building, face of a building, or any member, such as a moulding; applied to the shorter in contradistinction to the longer.

To turn back; to go or come again to the same place or condition.

To come back, or begin again, after an interval, regular or irregular; to appear again.

To speak in answer; to reply; to respond.

To revert; to pass back into possession.

To go back in thought, narration, or argument.

To bring, carry, send, or turn, back; as, to return a borrowed book, or a hired horse.

To repay; as, to return borrowed money.

To give in requital or recompense; to requite.

To give back in reply; as, to return an answer; to return thanks.

To retort; to throw back; as, to return the lie.

To report, or bring back and make known.

To render, as an account, usually an official account, to a superior; to report officially by a list or statement; as, to return a list of stores, of killed or wounded; to return the result of an election.

Hence, to elect according to the official report of the election officers.

To bring or send back to a tribunal, or to an office, with a certificate of what has been done; as, to return a writ.

To convey into official custody, or to a general depository.

To bat (the ball) back over the net.

To lead in response to the lead of one's partner; as, to return a trump; to return a diamond for a club.

The act of returning (intransitive), or coming back to the same place or condition; as, the return of one long absent; the return of health; the return of the seasons, or of an anniversary.

The act of returning (transitive), or sending back to the same place or condition; restitution; repayment; requital; retribution; as, the return of anything borrowed, as a book or money; a good return in tennis.

That which is returned.

An answer; as, a return to one's question.

The continuation in a different direction, most often at a right angle, of a building, face of a building, or any member, as a molding or mold; - applied to the shorter in contradistinction to the longer; thus, a facade of sixty feet east and west has a return of twenty feet north and south.

The rendering back or delivery of writ, precept, or execution, to the proper officer or court.

An official account, report, or statement, rendered to the commander or other superior officer; as, the return of men fit for duty; the return of the number of the sick; the return of provisions, etc.

The turnings and windings of a trench or mine.

Document giving the tax collector information about the taxpayer's tax liability;

A coming to or returning home;

The occurrence of a change in direction back in the opposite direction

Getting something back again;

The act of returning to a prior location;

The income arising from land or other property;

Happening again (especially at regular intervals);

A quick reply to a question or remark (especially a witty or critical one);

The key on electric typewriters or computer keyboards that causes a carriage return and a line feed

A reciprocal group action;

A tennis stroke that returns the ball to the other player;

(American football) the act of running back the ball after a kickoff or punt or interception or fumble

The act of someone appearing again;

Come back to place where one has been before, or return to a previous activity

Give back;

Go back to a previous state;

Go back to something earlier;

Bring back to the point of departure

Return in kind;

Make a return;

Answer back

Be restored;

Pay back;

Pass down;

Elect again

Be inherited by;

Return to a previous position; in mathematics;

Give or supply;

Submit (a report, etc.) to someone in authority;