changed hands
Ownership was transferred
Changed hands describes something transferring from one owner to another.
Property, businesses, and possessions change hands through sale, inheritance, or conquest: The company changed hands three times in a decade.
Money changes hands in any transaction.
The phrase emphasizes the transfer itself rather than the method: The painting has changed hands so often its provenance is unclear.
- passedWent beyond or succeeded
- transferMove between locations
- property transferShifting ownership legally
- ownershipLegal right of possession
- acquisitionAct of obtaining something
traded away · sale · sold off · estate sale · transaction · inheritance · deal · legacy · swap · deed · succession · trade · purchase · conveyance · handover · reallocation · divested · barter
changed handsretained
Continued to hold
kept · held onto · stayed put · held back · passed down
change, changed, changes, changing, changer, changers, changeable, unchangeable, unchanged