change
verb · noun
Simple meaning
To become different, or to make something different.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
chaynjIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈtʃeɪndʒ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
Become different in some particular way, without permanently losing one's or its former characteristics or essence
“Her mood changes in accordance with the weather.”
transitive
To replace the clothing of (the one wearing it), especially to put a clean diaper on (someone).
intransitive
To replace one's clothing.
Remove or replace the coverings of
“Father had to learn how to change the baby.”
transitiveergative
To make something into something else.
Exchange or replace with another, usually of the same kind or category
noun
countableuncountable
The process of becoming different.
uncountable
Small denominations of money given in exchange for a larger denomination.
countable
A replacement.
uncountable
Balance of money returned from the sum paid after deducting the price of a purchase.
uncountable
An amount of cash, usually in the form of coins, but sometimes inclusive of paper money.
countable
A transfer between vehicles.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner (estimated)
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Become different in some particular way, without permanently losing one's or its former characteristics or essence
Used this way, change is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“Her mood changes in accordance with the weather.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Usage note
It most often appears in the pattern “change in …”, which is worth copying when you use it.
Natural pattern: change in …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
How It’s Used
The word’s distinct uses, one example each.
Becomeverb
“Her mood changes in accordance with the weather.”
Removeverb
“Father had to learn how to change the baby.”
More ways to use change
- “Father had to learn how to change the baby.”verb
- “Her mood changes in accordance with the weather.”verb
- “She changed completely as she grew older.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Similar Words, What’s the Difference?
Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
Made or become different in nature or form.
A person who changes something.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
Capable of or tending to change in form or quality or nature.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
An act that changes the light that something reflects.
A change in the direction that you are moving.
The act of changing the direction in which something is oriented.
The act of changing the unity or wholeness of something.
The time in a woman's life in which the menstrual cycle ends.
A movement through space that changes the location of something.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.