Barter Meaning
/ˈbɑː.(ɹ)tə(ɹ)/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounAn exchange of goods or services without the use of money.
nounThe goods or services used in such an exchange.
Sentence Examples
Barter, however, was a very unsatisfactory system because people's needs seldom matched exactly.
In primitive societies barter was used.
All government is founded on compromise and barter.
CEFR Practice Quiz
Early settlers would ____ their crops for tools instead of using money.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
In the old days, people would ____ their goods instead of using money.
Word Origin & History
Late Middle English, from Old French barater.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Speculations in trade are not confined to the counter or to the counting-house. Lady Anne's fair hair and white teeth were as much objects of barter as any of the shawls or ribbons displayed in Bond Street. They were to be had in exchange for a suit of diamonds and an opera-box."
— 1838 (date written), L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter I, in Lady Anne Granard; or, Keeping up Appearances. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […], published 1842, →OCLC, page 11:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
Early settlers would ____ their crops for tools instead of using money.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
In the old days, people would ____ their goods instead of using money.