trade-off

noun

ˈtrād-ˌȯf 

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

• exchange

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

That trade-off expands the available options for engineers working with limited quantum hardware. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026

The trade-off is worth it because the long-term benefits are undeniable. — Anand Solanki, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026

That’s a trade-off worth factoring in when a brachycephalic breed lands on your shortlist. — Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2026

Musk effectively erased that trade-off, supplying enough money to build a dedicated financial firewall around Paxton without forcing the party to pull resources from other battlegrounds. — Luke Fountain, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1909, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for trade-off

• cerenkov
• ashraf
• checkoff
• cutoff
• falloff
• handoff
• kickoff
• layoff
• liftoff
• markoff
• markov
• payoff

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