trade-off

Definition of trade-offnext
as in exchange
a giving or taking of one thing of value in return for another a trade-off in which a company got a celebrity spokesperson and a fading star got some much-needed cash

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of trade-off There were mixed feeling about the trade-offs of having both parents work full-time. ABC News, 18 June 2026 But there is often a trade-off for those soft first touches. Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 18 June 2026 The trade-off is that there’s little room for profiles to express much of a person's personality beyond looks, which is the point. Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 17 June 2026 And as ever, all available choices involve difficult trade-offs. Anand Menon, Time, 13 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for trade-off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trade-off
exchange
Noun
  • This came after an exchange of fire in previous days between the US and Iran.
    Xiaoqian Lin, CNN Money, 29 June 2026
  • The district countered with an offer of several months pay in exchange for giving up the right to indemnification, the sources said.
    Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Trade-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trade-off. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.

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