trade

1 of 3

noun

1
a(1)
: the business of buying and selling or bartering commodities : commerce
(2)
: business, market
novelties for the tourist trade
did a good trade in small appliances
b
obsolete : dealings between persons or groups
2
a
: an act or instance of trading : transaction
also : an exchange of property usually without use of money
b
: a firm's customers : clientele
c
: the group of firms engaged in a business or industry
3
a
: an occupation requiring manual or mechanical skill : craft
b
: the business or work in which one engages regularly : occupation
c
: the persons engaged in an occupation, business, or industry
4
: a customary course of action : practice
thy sin's not accidental, but a tradeWilliam Shakespeare
5
: trade wind
usually used in plural
6
: a publication intended for persons in the entertainment business
usually used in plural
7
a
obsolete : a path traversed : way
b
archaic : a track or trail left by a person or animal : tread sense 4

trade

2 of 3

verb

traded; trading

intransitive verb

1
: to give one thing in exchange for another
2
a
: to engage in the exchange, purchase, or sale of goods
b
: to make one's purchases : shop
trades at his store
3
4
obsolete : to have dealings : negotiate

transitive verb

1
a
: to give in exchange for another commodity : barter
also : to make an exchange of
traded places
b
: to engage in frequent buying and selling of (stocks, commodities, etc.) usually in search of quick profits
2
archaic : to do business with
tradable adjective
or less commonly tradeable

trade

3 of 3

adjective

1
: of, relating to, or used in trade
2
a
: intended for or limited to persons in a business or industry
a trade publication
trade sales
b
: serving others in the same business rather than the ultimate user or consumer
a trade printing house
3
or less commonly trades : of, composed of, or representing the trades or trade unions
a trade committee
4
: having a larger softcover format than that of a mass-market paperback and usually sold only in bookstores
trade paperbacks
also : of or relating to the publishing of such books
Phrases
trade on
: to take often unscrupulous advantage of : exploit
traded on their influence … in securing special favorsT. C. Pease
Choose the Right Synonym for trade

business, commerce, trade, industry, traffic mean activity concerned with the supplying and distribution of commodities.

business may be an inclusive term but specifically designates the activities of those engaged in the purchase or sale of commodities or in related financial transactions.

commerce and trade imply the exchange and transportation of commodities.

industry applies to the producing of commodities, especially by manufacturing or processing, usually on a large scale.

traffic applies to the operation and functioning of public carriers of goods and persons.

Examples of trade in a Sentence

Noun the trade between the two countries Trade accounts for half of our gross national product. The Tigers made a few good trades this season and picked up some promising players. Verb If you don't like your seat, I'll trade with you. I traded seats with her halfway through the show. He was traded to the Yankees. They traded him to the Broncos. I traded my pen for a pencil and kept writing. Their firm specializes in trading bonds. She mostly trades in stocks.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Nearly 250,000 pages of trade ledgers spanning from 1860 to 1960 provide a different perspective, including details on sales to individual pubs across the United Kingdom and Ireland. Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN, 8 Mar. 2024 The Panthers on Friday, hours ahead of the NHL’s 3 p.m. trade deadline, acquired forward Kyle Okposo from the Buffalo Sabres for defenseman prospect Calle Sjalin and a conditional seventh-round pick. Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 8 Mar. 2024 Those trade curbs pushed Huawei and SMIC to pursue avenues for building a domestic chip supply chain, and the Mate 60 Pro marked a surprising advance in that effort. Cagan Koc, Fortune Asia, 8 Mar. 2024 He’s expected to skate on the second line with trade addition Casey Mittelstadt and Jonathan Drouin. Corey Masisak, The Denver Post, 8 Mar. 2024 The trade relationship between China and the United States has plenty of friction. Mike Isaac, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024 House Bill 1235 would ban cities from suing firearm manufacturers, retailers or trade groups. The Indianapolis Star, 6 Mar. 2024 Tech companies, represented by the trade group NetChoice, argue the laws give the government too much control over online speech in violation of the First Amendment and have the potential to usher in a patchwork of different internet laws rooted in political whims of state leaders. Ann E. Marimow, Washington Post, 25 Feb. 2024 Her firm represents the American Property Casualty Insurance Assn., a major trade group for home, auto and business insurers. Julia Wick, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2024
Verb
As the weather starts to warm up, trade your bulky fall boots for breezy slip-ons like these ones that are a classy way to dress up a casual outfit. Taylor Jean Stephan, Peoplemag, 8 Mar. 2024 The deal means the Sharks do not have any more salary retention spots left until the summer of 2025, likely hampering efforts to trade either captain Logan Couture or defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic in the next calendar year if the Sharks want to continue the teardown. Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024 But history suggests that Snead will trade back for more picks in a draft that he is expected to enter with 11. Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2024 In the loss, the Heat wasted Rozier’s best performance since being traded to Miami. Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 8 Mar. 2024 The company, which owns TuneCore and labels such as Groove Attack and Naïve, began trading on the Paris Euronext exchange in June 2021. Marc Schneider, Billboard, 7 Mar. 2024 Aramco stock traded slightly up on Riyadh's Tadawul stock exchange to $8.45 a share Thursday. Jon Gambrell, Quartz, 7 Mar. 2024 Pierre Suu/Getty Images The no-pants movement in fashion has been led by the likes of Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber, who have all traded traditional bottoms for underwear on various occasions as of late. Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 6 Mar. 2024 On the eve of last season, the Rams’ traded two midround draft picks to the Pittsburgh Steelers for guard Kevin Dotson. Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 26 Feb. 2024
Adjective
Accounting for rising prices, last year's $690 billion two-way trade was 7% lower than the pre-trade war peak in 2018, according to calculations by Alfredo Carrillo Obregon, a research associate at the Cato Institute. David J. Lynch The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 7 Aug. 2023 Accounting for rising prices, last year’s $690 billion two-way trade was 7 percent lower than the pre-trade war peak in 2018, according to calculations by Alfredo Carrillo Obregon, a research associate at the Cato Institute. David J. Lynch, Anchorage Daily News, 7 Aug. 2023 Kind, who represented Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District since his election in 1996, served on the House Ways and Means Committee, a powerful panel that is effectively Congress’ chief tax-writing body, carving out a role on Capitol Hill as a pro-trade Democrat. Lawrence Andrea, Journal Sentinel, 6 Feb. 2023 Enter Email Sign Up Acquired along with Dmitry Orlov in a pre-trade deadline deal with Washington, Hathaway’s ongoing integration into a deep and talented lineup is yet another reason to believe this record-setting year could end with a title. Tara Sullivan, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Mar. 2023 But don’t overlook the Mavericks’ faster, more instinctual offensive pace and 3-0 record in games with Irving but without Doncic as signs of Irving’s post-trade impact. Callie Caplan, Dallas News, 20 Mar. 2023 Collaborative networks that foster easy communication channels across firms and influencer networks or that provide integrated execution and management options, including pre- and post-trade analytics further illustrate unbundled benefits. Bob Casey, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2023 One jumbotron interview to appreciate his fourth consecutive All-Star berth and the Mavericks’ post-trade deadline outlook with Kyrie Irving on board. Dallas News, 19 Feb. 2023 In Lordstown, Ohio, for example — ground zero for White, working-class and anti-trade voters — Foxconn, the Taiwanese manufacturing goliath, intends to produce thousands of Fisker PEAR electric vehicles per year, alongside other EV products. Paul Sracic, CNN, 12 Jan. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'trade.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Middle Low German; akin to Old High German trata track, course, Old English tredan to tread

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 7b

Verb

1553, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 4

Adjective

1625, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of trade was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near trade

Cite this Entry

“Trade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trade. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

trade

1 of 3 noun
1
: the business or work in which a person takes part regularly : occupation
2
: an occupation requiring manual or mechanical skill
3
: the persons working in an occupation, business, or industry
4
: the business of buying and selling items : commerce
5
a
: an act or instance of trading : transaction
b
: an exchange of property without use of money : swap
6
: a firm's customers
7
: trade wind
usually used in plural

trade

2 of 3 verb
traded; trading
1
a
: to give in exchange for something else
b
: to make an exchange of
traded places
2
a
: to take part in the exchange, purchase, or sale of goods
b
: to deal regularly as a customer

trade

3 of 3 adjective
: of, relating to, or used in trade

Legal Definition

trade

1 of 3 noun
1
a
: the business or work in which one engages regularly
b
: an occupation requiring manual or mechanical skill
c
: the persons engaged in an occupation
2
: the business of buying and selling or bartering commodities
3
: an act or instance of trading
also : an exchange of property usually without use of money

trade

2 of 3 verb
traded; trading

intransitive verb

1
: to engage in the exchange, purchase, or sale of goods
2
: to give one thing in exchange for another
3
: to engage in selling

transitive verb

1
: to give in exchange for another commodity
also : to make an exchange of
2
: to engage in frequent buying and selling of (as stocks or commodities) usually in search of quick profits
tradable adjective
also tradeable
trader noun

trade

3 of 3 adjective
1
: of, relating to, or used in trade or in a particular trade or business
2
also trades : of, composed of, or representing the trades or labor unions

More from Merriam-Webster on trade

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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