to make the form, nature, content, future course, etc., of (something) different from what it is or from what it would be if left alone: to change one's name; to change one's opinion; to change the course of history.
2.
to transform or convert (usually followed by into): The witch changed the prince into a toad.
3.
to substitute another or others for; exchange for something else, usually of the same kind: She changed her shoes when she got home from the office.
4.
to give and take reciprocally; interchange: to change places with someone.
5.
to transfer from one (conveyance) to another: You'll have to change planes in Chicago.
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
change one's mind, to change one's opinions or intentions.
38.
ring the changes,
a.
to perform all permutations possible in ringing a set of tuned bells, as in a bell tower of a church.
b.
to vary the manner of performing an action or of discussing a subject; repeat with variations.
Origin: 1175–1225; (v.) Middle English cha(u)ngen < Anglo-French, Old French changer < Late Latin cambiāre,Latin cambīre to exchange; (noun) Middle English cha(u)nge < Anglo-French, Old French, noun derivative of the v.
Synonyms 1. transmute, transform; vary, mutate; amend, modify. Change,alter both mean to make a difference in the state or condition of a thing or to substitute another state or condition. To change is to make a material difference so that the thing is distinctly different from what it was: to change one's opinion. To alter is to make some partial change, as in appearance, but usually to preserve the identity: to alter a dress (to change a dress would mean to put on a different one). 3. replace, trade. 4. trade. 7. convert. 10. vary, mutate, amend. 18. transmutation, mutation, conversion, vicissitude. 21. exchange. 25, 26. replacement.
early 13c., from O.Fr. changier, from L.L. cambiare, from L. cambire "to exchange, barter," of Celtic origin, from PIE base *kamb- "to bend, crook." The financial sense of "balance returned when something is paid for" is first recorded 1620s. Phrase change of heart is from 1828.
n. money. (See also and change.) : It takes a lot of change to buy a car like that.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition. Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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