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Glite Dictionary
to trade hands

to trade hands

1 4.3
To move from one owner to another when people buy or sell it
  • phrasal verb
  • /treɪd hændz/
translation icon : cambiar de manos
  • He made some NFTS that are just like, laughably bad, and they have been like trading hands for like millions of dollars.
  • trade hands for millions

Examples

  • The stock broke U.S. trading records as more than 100 million shares traded hands for three consecutive days.

  • In total, about 579 million shares traded hands by the market's close.

    Blog text (27)

  • The frequency with which money trades hands is a multiple that increases the money supply and is closely watched by monetarists.

    Blog text (19)

  • It had traded hands a half-dozen times in the last few days.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Past presidents could count on the old trade hands in Congress to control key committees, push bills through, and keep their colleagues' protectionist instincts in check.

    Academic text (1996)

  • Last year, a record 3.1 billion ADRs traded hands on the U.S. major exchanges.

  • In total, about 579 million shares traded hands by the market's close.

Synonyms

to sell
vsto trade hands
∞ 1.0

To give something to someone for money

involves ownership change but can include non monetary transfers
to transfer
vsto trade hands
241 3.4

To make someone else the owner of something

is the general idea of ownership change not limited to formal acts
to change hands
vsto trade hands
12 3.4

To be sold or given to a new owner

emphasizes ownership change broadly often through buying or selling

Surface Forms

trade hands infinitive
traded hands past
traded hands past participle
trading hands present participle
trades hands third person singular

Morphology

trade + hands

The verb 'trade' denotes exchange, and if a learner recognizes the metaphorical use of 'hands' to mean possession or ownership they can infer 'to change ownership.' However, 'hands' as 'possession' is figurative and the construction (more commonly 'change hands') is idiomatic rather than strictly compositional, so a B1 learner who only knows the literal word senses may not reliably derive the meaning.

Etymology

Trade hands comes from the simple image of an item being passed from one person's hand to another. The parts trade and hands show a real swap of something, so that's why the phrase means 'to change owners' today.