trade-in

1 of 2

noun

ˈtrād-ˌin 

: an item of merchandise (such as an automobile or refrigerator) taken as payment or part payment for a purchase

trade in

2 of 2

verb

traded in; trading in; trades in

transitive verb

1

: to turn in as payment or part payment for a purchase or bill

trade the old car in on a new one

2

: exchange sense 2

Examples of trade-in in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Li also reiterated the importance of boosting domestic consumption, although China's funding of 250 billion yuan ($36 billion) earmarked for consumer goods trade-in subsidies was lower than last year’s 300 billion yuan. —ABC News, 5 Mar. 2026

Deeper challenges China's policy announcements will be scrutinized for details on consumer stimulus, such as expanding trade-in subsidies, and any incremental support for the struggling property market. —Evelyn Cheng,anniek Bao, CNBC, 4 Mar. 2026

Verb

The company, which already trades in Shenzhen, plans the second listing as soon as April, the people said, asking not to be identified because the information isn’t public. —Dave Sebastian, Bloomberg, 9 Mar. 2026

But the cryptocurrency has often traded in line with equities, raising questions about that narrative during past bouts of market stress. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 9 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1915, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1891, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for trade-in

• aneurin
• crystallin
• eosin
• mandolin
• porphyrin
• underpin
• violin
• akin
• auxin
• buckskin
• chagrin
• deerskin

Kids Definition

trade-in

1 of 2 noun

ˈtrād-ˌin

: something given in trade usually as part payment for a purchase

trade in

2 of 2 verb

(ˈ)trād-ˈin

: to turn in as a payment or part payment for a purchase