diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 1c616ea9d..e8f01d2b0 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -124,6 +124,8 @@ Currently, the `@compat` macro supports the following syntaxes:
 
 * `writemime` has been merged into `show` [#16563](https://github.com/JuliaLang/julia/pull/16563). Note that to extend this function requires `@compat`; see the [Supported Syntax](#supported-syntax) section for more information.
 
+* `$` is now `xor` or `⊻` [#18977](https://github.com/JuliaLang/julia/pull/18977).
+
 ## New macros
 
 * `@static` has been added [#16219](https://github.com/JuliaLang/julia/pull/16219).
diff --git a/src/Compat.jl b/src/Compat.jl
index 897d4ce56..453ee979f 100644
--- a/src/Compat.jl
+++ b/src/Compat.jl
@@ -1679,4 +1679,11 @@ if VERSION < v"0.6.0-dev.848"
     end
 end
 
+# julia#18977
+if !isdefined(Base, :xor)
+    const xor = $
+    const ⊻ = xor
+    export xor, ⊻
+end
+
 end # module
diff --git a/test/runtests.jl b/test/runtests.jl
index 06c8c283f..86d55f8ed 100644
--- a/test/runtests.jl
+++ b/test/runtests.jl
@@ -1509,3 +1509,6 @@ for T in types
     x = @compat Nullable{Array{T}}()
     @test_throws UndefRefError unsafe_get(x)
 end
+
+@test xor(1,5) == 4
+@test 1 ⊻ 5 == 4