Change means to make something different or to become different yourself. When you change your clothes, you replace what you're wearing with something else. When tadpoles change into frogs, they transform completely, growing legs and losing their tails. When your plans change, you do something different from what you originally intended.

Change happens constantly in the world around you. Seasons change as Earth orbits the Sun. Your height changes as you grow. A caterpillar changes into a butterfly. Scientists study how species change over millions of years through evolution. Historians examine how societies change over time, adopting new technologies, laws, and ways of living.

The word also refers to the coins you get back when you pay for something with more money than it costs. If you buy a book for seven dollars and hand the cashier a ten-dollar bill, you receive three dollars in change. People also call coins change generally, like the loose quarters and pennies jingling in someone's pocket.

Some changes happen quickly, like changing your mind about which game to play. Others unfold slowly, like how your neighborhood changes over the years as new buildings go up or old trees grow taller. When something changes hands, ownership transfers from one person to another. A change of heart means someone's feelings or opinion has shifted in an important way.