Transfer vs. Transmit — What's the Difference?
By Fiza Rafique & Maham Liaqat — Updated on May 2, 2024
Transfer implies moving or carrying something from one place to another, focusing on the change of location; transmit involves sending information or energy, often through a medium or system.
Difference Between Transfer and Transmit
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Transfer is used when something is moved from one location to another, often implying a change in possession or control. Transmit, on the other hand, is typically used for sending signals, information, or energy from one place to another, especially through a wire, an electromagnetic field, or an optical fiber.
Transfer can be physical, such as transferring goods, or metaphorical, such as transferring rights. Whereas, transmit often relates to communication and technology, involving the propagation of data or energy without physical movement of the objects involved.
In legal contexts, transfer denotes the act of moving rights, obligations, or property from one party to another. Transmit, however, is rarely used in legal terms, but can refer to the sending of documents or data electronically from one entity to another.
In the medical field, transfer might refer to moving a patient from one facility to another or handing over care responsibility. On the other hand, transmit is used in terms of spreading diseases or biological information, emphasizing the action of passing something along.
Transfer can also mean the process of copying data from one device to another, involving some form of handover. In contrast, transmit often signifies the continuous sending or broadcasting of data, like in telecommunications or radio.
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Comparison Chart
Primary Context
Movement of items or rights
Sending of signals or data
Typical Use
Physical and legal contexts
Communications and technology
Implied Action
Movement from one place to another
Sending through a medium
Common Fields
Commerce, law, medicine
Telecommunications, computing
Example of Non-Physical Use
Transferring ownership
Transmitting radio signals
Compare with Definitions
Transfer
Moving an object from one place to another.
He transferred the package to the other office.
Transmit
Sending information via communication channels.
The station transmits a new signal every hour.
Transfer
Moving funds between accounts.
She transferred her savings into a high-interest account.
Transmit
Conveying electric power or energy.
Solar panels transmit energy to the power grid.
Transfer
Copying data between devices.
Data transfer speeds can greatly affect productivity.
Transmit
Spreading diseases between organisms.
Mosquitoes transmit malaria through bites.
Transfer
Relocating an employee to a different location.
The company transferred him to the London branch.
Transmit
Broadcasting television or radio signals.
The game is transmitted live on national TV.
Transfer
Shifting ownership or responsibility.
Ownership of the car was transferred after the sale.
Transmit
Passing traits from parents to offspring.
Certain genetic traits are transmitted hereditarily.
Transfer
Move from one place to another
He intends to transfer the fund's assets to the Treasury
I went to sleep on the couch before transferring to my bedroom later in the night
Transmit
To send from one person, thing, or place to another; convey.
Transfer
Change to another place, route, or means of transport during a journey
Passengers have to transfer at Heathrow for onward international flights
Transmit
(transitive) To send or convey something from one person, place or thing to another.
Transfer
Make over the possession of (property, a right, or a responsibility) to another
We will transfer full planning responsibility to local authorities
Transmit
(transitive) To spread or pass on something such as a disease or a signal.
Transfer
Change (the sense of a word or phrase) by extension or metaphor
A transferred use of the Old English noun
Transmit
(transitive) To impart, convey or hand down something by inheritance or heredity.
Transfer
An act of moving something or someone to another place, organization, team, etc.
A transfer of wealth to the EU's poorer nations
A patient had died after transfer from the County Hospital to St Peter's
She asked her boss for a transfer to the city
Transmit
(transitive) To communicate news or information.
Transfer
A small coloured picture or design on paper, which can be transferred to another surface by being pressed or heated
T-shirts with iron-on transfers
Transmit
(transitive) To convey energy or force through a mechanism or medium.
Transfer
An act of changing to another place, route, or means of transport during a journey
Bus transfers between the airport and the city centre cost about £11
Transmit
(intransitive) To send out a signal (as opposed to receive).
A Mayday call was transmitted by the stricken vessel.
Transfer
To convey or cause to pass from one place, person, or thing to another.
Transmit
To cause to pass over or through; to communicate by sending; to send from one person or place to another; to pass on or down as by inheritance; as, to transmit a memorial; to transmit dispatches; to transmit money, or bills of exchange, from one country to another.
The ancientest fathers must be next removed, as Clement of Alexandria, and that Eusebian book of evangelic preparation, transmitting our ears through a hoard of heathenish obscenities to receive the gospel.
The scepter of that kingdom continued to be transmitted in the dynasty of Castile.
Transfer
(Law) To make over the possession or legal title of (property, for example); convey.
Transmit
To suffer to pass through; as, glass transmits light; metals transmit, or conduct, electricity.
Transfer
To convey (a design, for example) from one surface to another, as by impression.
Transmit
Transfer to another;
Communicate a disease
Transfer
To move oneself from one location or job to another.
Transmit
Transmit or serve as the medium for transmission;
Sound carries well over water
The airwaves carry the sound
Many metals conduct heat
Transfer
To withdraw from one educational institution or course of study and enroll in another.
Transmit
Broadcast over the airwaves, as in radio or television;
We cannot air this X-rated song
Transfer
To change from one public conveyance to another
Transferred to another bus.
Transmit
Send from one person or place to another;
Transmit a message
Transfer
Also trans·fer·al (trăns-fûrəl) The conveyance or removal of something from one place, person, or thing to another.
Transfer
One who transfers or is transferred, as to a new school.
Transfer
A design conveyed by contact from one surface to another.
Transfer
A ticket entitling a passenger to change from one public conveyance to another as part of one trip.
Transfer
A place where such a change is made.
Transfer
Also transferal(Law) A conveyance of title or property from one person to another.
Transfer
(transitive) To move or pass from one place, person or thing to another.
To transfer the laws of one country to another; to transfer suspicion
Transfer
(transitive) To convey the impression of (something) from one surface to another.
To transfer drawings or engravings to a lithographic stone
Transfer
To exit one mass transit vehicle and board another (typically one belonging to a different line or mode of transportation) to continue a journey.
Transfer to the Blue Line
Transfer
(intransitive) To be or become transferred.
Transfer
To arrange for something to belong to or be officially controlled by somebody else.
The title to land is transferred by deed.
Transfer
(uncountable) The act of conveying or removing something from one place, person or thing to another.
Transfer
(countable) An instance of conveying or removing from one place, person or thing to another; a transferal.
Transfer
An act of exiting one mass transit vehicle and boarding another (typically one belonging to a different line or mode of transportation) to continue a journey.
Free transfers can be made between the Red and Orange Lines by walking from one of the station's platforms to another; in addition, riders using a fare card also get free transfers between bus and subway at the station.
Transfer
A paper receipt given to a rider of one bus (and historically also certain elevated or subway lines), allowing free entry onto another bus to continue a journey.
Transfer
(countable) A design conveyed by contact from one surface to another; a heat transfer.
Transfer
A soldier removed from one troop, or body of troops, and placed in another.
Transfer
(medicine) A pathological process by which a unilateral morbid condition on being abolished on one side of the body makes its appearance in the corresponding region upon the other side.
Transfer
(genetics) The conveying of genetic material from one cell to another.
Transfer
(bridge) A conventional bid which requests partner to bid the next available suit.
Transfer
(sports) A person who transfers or is transferred from one club or team to another.
Transfer
To convey from one place or person another; to transport, remove, or cause to pass, to another place or person; as, to transfer the laws of one country to another; to transfer suspicion.
Transfer
To make over the possession or control of; to pass; to convey, as a right, from one person to another; to give; as, the title to land is transferred by deed.
Transfer
To remove from one substance or surface to another; as, to transfer drawings or engravings to a lithographic stone.
Transfer
The act of transferring, or the state of being transferred; the removal or conveyance of a thing from one place or person to another.
Transfer
The conveyance of right, title, or property, either real or personal, from one person to another, whether by sale, by gift, or otherwise.
I shall here only consider it as a transfer of property.
Transfer
That which is transferred.
Transfer
A picture, or the like, removed from one body or ground to another, as from wood to canvas, or from one piece of canvas to another.
Transfer
A pathological process by virtue of which a unilateral morbid condition on being abolished on one side of the body makes its appearance in the corresponding region upon the other side.
Transfer
A drawing or writing printed off from one surface on another, as in ceramics and in many decorative arts.
Transfer
A soldier removed from one troop, or body of troops, and placed in another.
Transfer
The act of transporting something from one location to another
Transfer
Someone who transfers or is transferred from one position to another;
The best student was a transfer from LSU
Transfer
The act of transfering something from one form to another;
The transfer of the music from record to tape suppressed much of the background noise
Transfer
A ticket that allows a passenger to change conveyances
Transfer
Application of a skill learned in one situation to a different but similar situation
Transfer
Transferring ownership
Transfer
Move around;
Transfer the packet from his trouser pockets to a pocket in his jacket
Transfer
Transfer somebody to a different position or location of work
Transfer
Move from one place to another;
Transfer the data
Transmit the news
Transfer the patient to another hospital
Transfer
Lift and reset in another soil or situation;
Transplant the young rice plants
Transfer
Cause to change ownership;
I transferred my stock holdings to my children
Transfer
Change from one vehicle or transportation line to another;
She changed in Chicago on her way to the East coast
Transfer
Send from one person or place to another;
Transmit a message
Transfer
Shift the position or location of, as for business, legal, educational, or military purposes;
He removed his children to the countryside
Remove the troops to the forest surrounding the city
Remove a case to another court
Transfer
Transfer from one place or period to another;
The ancient Greek story was transplanted into Modern America
Common Curiosities
Can you transfer something intangible?
Yes, intangible items like rights, responsibilities, or data can be transferred.
How do viruses transmit?
Viruses transmit through various mechanisms like air, physical contact, or carriers like insects.
How does transferring money work?
Transferring money involves moving funds from one account to another, which can be done electronically or through physical means like cash.
What is required to transfer a vehicle's ownership?
To transfer a vehicle's ownership, legal documents such as a bill of sale and title transfer must be completed.
What does it mean to transmit power?
Transmitting power refers to the process of conveying energy from one location to another, typically through power lines.
What is the main difference between transfer and transmit?
Transfer involves moving or handing over something tangible or intangible from one place or person to another, whereas transmit involves sending information or signals, often through a medium.
Can a property be transmitted?
Property is typically transferred rather than transmitted, as transmit implies a method of sending or broadcasting.
What role does transmission play in telecommunications?
Transmission is crucial in telecommunications for sending voice, data, and video across distances via cables, fiber optics, or wireless signals.
Is transferring files the same as transmitting them?
Transferring files involves moving them from one system to another, possibly involving a handover, whereas transmitting files can simply mean sending them across a network without moving the original.
What does it mean to transmit knowledge?
Transmitting knowledge involves passing information from one person to another or one generation to the next, often through teaching or written works.
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Written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Maham Liaqat
