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
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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
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
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In January 2015, Shirley agreed to a plea deal in exchange for testifying against the Leonard brothers.
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The resulting arguments, trolling and nasty exchanges can signal to the algorithm that the content is engaging, prompting it to show those posts to even more people who are likely to react and further amplify the conversation.
Cite this Entry
“Trade-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trade-off. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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