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transfer

verb · noun

Simple meaning

To exit one mass transit vehicle and board another to continue a journey.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

transfur

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

tɹænsˈfɝ

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.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

verb

  1. transportof a traveler

    To exit one mass transit vehicle and board another (typically one belonging to a different line or mode of transportation) to continue a journey.

  2. Move from one place to another

  3. Move around

    “Transfer the packet from his trouser pockets to a pocket in his jacket.”

  4. transitive

    To convey the impression of (something) from one surface to another.

  5. Change from one vehicle or transportation line to another

  6. Lift and reset in another soil or situation

noun

  1. 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.”

  2. countable

    An instance of conveying or removing from one place, person or thing to another; a transferal.

  3. The act of moving something from one location to another

  4. countable

    A design conveyed by contact from one surface to another; a heat transfer.

  5. A soldier removed from one troop, or body of troops, and placed in another.

  6. countable

    Of a person with limited mobility: an instance of independent or assisted movement from one stable surface to another.

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: (transport, of a traveler) To exit one mass transit vehicle and board another (typically one belonging to a different line or mode of transportation) to continue a journey.

Used this way, transfer is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
No strong connotation
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Nearby words

  • transplant , a specialist term, precise but narrower
  • conveyance , a specialist term, precise but narrower
  • reassign , rarer, so it draws attention

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use transfer

  • “Transfer the packet from his trouser pockets to a pocket in his jacket.”verb
  • “The transfer of the music from record to tape suppressed much of the background noise.”noun

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Shift / transfer

energy transfer

Become

heat transfer

Other combinations

transfer functiontechnology transfergene transfertransfer ratetransfer pricingmass transfer

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • transfer agentnounCompound term

    An agency (usually a bank) that is appointed by a corporation to keep records of its stock and bond owners and to resolve problems about certificates.

  • transfer of trainingnounCompound term

    Application of a skill learned in one situation to a different but similar situation.

  • transfer papernounCompound term

    A paper that is coated with a preparation for transferring a design to another surface.

  • transfer paymentnounCompound term

    A public expenditure (as for unemployment compensation or veteran's benefits) that is not for goods and services.

  • transfer rnanounCompound term

    RNA molecules present in the cell (in at least 20 varieties, each variety capable of combining with a specific amino acid) that attach the correct amino acid to the protein chain that is…

  • transfer taxnounCompound term

    Any tax levied on the passing of title to property.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

verb

Sense: to exit one mass transit vehicle and board another (typically one belonging to a different line

changetransplantTechnicalconveyanceTechnicalreassignRare

noun

Sense: transfering something from one form to another

changeremovetransferralRare

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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.