1 a [no obj] : to become different ▪ Her mood changes every hour. ▪ He's changed in appearance. = His appearance has changed. ▪ The leaves change (in color) from green to red in the fall. ▪ The cars were stopped, waiting for the light/lights to change (from red to green). ▪ My, how you've changed! ▪ He changed from an optimist to/into a pessimist. ▪ The town has changed little in recent years. ▪ the changing times ▪ the ever-changing [=constantly changing] fashions of teenagers b [+ obj] : to make (someone or something) different ▪ These events have changed me in my attitude to/toward life. ▪ He's changed his appearance with a new haircut. = His new haircut has changed his appearance. ▪ You can't change human nature. ▪ Life changed him from an optimist into a pessimist. ▪ The leaves change color from green to red in the fall. —sometimes + up in informal U.S. English ▪ She changed up her daily routine. ▪ We need to change things up a little. c [no obj] : to become something else —usually + to or into ▪ Winter changed to/into spring. ▪ The magician made the rope change into a ribbon and then change back into a rope.
2 a : to replace one thing or person with another [+ obj] ▪ She changed her name when she got married. ▪ We'll have a better view if we change our seats for better ones. [=if we move to better seats] ▪ Could you change my appointment (from Monday) to Friday? ▪ change a record/CD ▪ France has changed its monetary unit from the franc to the euro. ▪ She's thinking about changing jobs/dentists. [=about leaving her current job/dentist and going to a new one] ▪ change the channel on the TV ▪ change a (flat) tire [=replace a flat tire with one that is not flat] ▪ Let's change the subject. [=let's talk about a different subject] ▪ I've changed my opinion/views on that subject. [=my opinion on that subject is different now from what it was before] ▪ The police did not believe her because she had changed her story. [=she said something different from what she had said before] [no obj] ▪ While watching TV, he would constantly change from one channel to another. ▪ France has changed from the franc to the euro. ▪ The U.S. has been slow to change to the metric system. b : to move from one position, place, etc., to another [+ obj] ▪ Mary changed [=exchanged, switched] places/seats with John. = John and Mary changed places/seats (with each other). ▪ He may be rich and famous but I wouldn't change places with him for anything in the world. ▪ He was opposed to the project at first, but then he changed sides and voted in favor of it. [no obj] ▪ Neither of them liked his seat so they changed with each other.
3 [+ obj] a : to exchange one kind of money for another kind ▪ change money from dollars into pounds = change dollars into/for pounds b : to exchange a larger bill for an equal amount in smaller bills or coins ▪ I need to change [=break] a $10 bill: can you give me a five and five ones?
4 a : to put on different clothes [no obj] ▪ Let me change out of this suit into something more comfortable. ▪ Do they still change (to more formal clothes) for dinner? ▪ I'll need a few minutes to change before we go out. [+ obj] ▪ I'll need a few minutes to change my clothes before we go out. b [+ obj] : to put clean clothes on (a baby) ▪ change a baby = change a baby's diaper [=remove a baby's dirty diaper and replace it with a clean one] c [+ obj] : to put a fresh covering on (a bed) ▪ change a bed = change the sheets on a bed [=remove dirty sheets from a bed and replace them with clean ones]
5 : to move from one plane, train, etc., to another in order to continue a journey [+ obj] ▪ We'll have to change planes in Chicago. [=we'll have to get on another plane in Chicago] [no obj] ▪ On the bus trip he had to change twice.