Meaning & use
transferred
Last updated
“transferred” is a form of “transfer”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive
Moved someone or something from one place, person, group, use, or owner to another.
Grammar: Takes an object; use to for the destination and from for the origin.
Patterns
- transfer something/someone to something
- transfer something from something
- be transferred to a place
The bank transferred the funds to her account.
Patients were transferred from the clinic to the hospital.
Management transferred responsibility to the regional office.
verbintransitive
Changed to a new school, job, team, or role, or was moved there by an authority.
Grammar: No object in She transferred to a new school; the passive be transferred is also common.
Patterns
- transfer to a school/job/team
- be transferred to another department
- transfer from one role to another
He transferred to a college closer to home.
She was transferred to the night shift in June.
After two years, he transferred from sales to training.
Word forms
| third-person singular | transfers |
|---|---|
| past tense | transferred |
| past participle | transferred |
| -ing form | transferring |
Common combinations
- transferred to
- The call was transferred to the billing department.
- transferred funds
- The accountant transferred funds before the deadline.
- transferred ownership
- They transferred ownership to their daughter.
- transferred from one department to another
- He transferred from one department to another in March.
- data transferred securely
- All data transferred securely between the servers.
Synonyms and how they differ
- moved
- Moved is the general word; transferred often suggests an official or deliberate change of place, role, or ownership.
- shifted
- Shifted can mean changed position, direction, or blame; transferred implies a defined destination or recipient.
- reassigned
- Reassigned fits jobs, tasks, or personnel and does not cover money or data.
Opposites
Word family
- transfer verb
- Base form meaning to move something or someone from one place or use to another.
- transfer noun
- The act, process, or document involved in moving something.
- transferable adjective
- Able to be moved, given, or applied to another person or use.
- transference noun
- A formal or psychological term for the process of redirecting feelings or authority.
Commonly confused: transferred or transmitted?
transferred vs transmitted
Transmit means send signals, disease, or data across a channel; transferred emphasizes change of place, owner, or responsibility.
Practice
Choose the best word: “The payment was ___ from the buyer’s account to the seller’s account.”
Choose one answer.
Money changes ownership between accounts, so transferred fits; transmitted is for signals or disease, translated concerns language, and transformed means changed in form.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “transferred”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.