trade-off

noun

ˈtrād-ˌȯf How to pronounce trade-off (audio)
Synonyms of trade-off
1
: a balancing of factors all of which are not attainable at the same time
Governments face a trade-off between privacy and increasing the effectiveness of tax collection.—Ricardo Perez-Truglia and Ugo Troiano
2
: a giving up of one thing in return for another : exchange
trade off transitive verb

Synonyms of trade-off

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Examples of trade-off in a Sentence

a trade-off in which a company got a celebrity spokesperson and a fading star got some much-needed cash
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The central location comes with a touch of weekend bustle—Big Bear Boulevard can get noisy—but the trade-off for walkability is worth it. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Aug. 2026 ClearJet says this approach can reduce shipping costs by as much as 35 percent while accelerating delivery by one to three days, narrowing the traditional trade-off between the speed of air transportation and the affordability of ground networks. — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 14 Aug. 2026 Insiders know that the technical underpinnings of watermarking are a gambit of trade-offs, and soon, the rest of society is going to witness this with their own eyes and ears. — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2026 But where the latter was built for unbridled performance, the the Destrier makes a number of trade-offs in favor of a more artful appearance from every angle. — Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 13 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for trade-off

Word History

First Known Use

1909, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of trade-off was in 1909

Rhymes for trade-off

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Browse Nearby Words

trade name
trade-off
trade on
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Cite this Entry

“Trade-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trade-off. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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Kids Definition

trade-off

noun
ˈtrād-ˌȯf
1
: a balancing of things all of which cannot be had at the same time
2
: a giving up of one thing in return for another
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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