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

But this seemed an acceptable trade-off for a childhood in which kids quickly learned to act independently. — Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026

Cartographers employ a variety of approaches, and there are trade-offs to each. — Jewel Bright, NPR, 4 Sep. 2026

The yield surge is also reshaping portfolio trade-offs for investors. — Hugh Leask, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2026

The trade-off, per the deals Netflix struck with companies like iHeartMedia and Spotify, is that full video episodes no longer can appear on YouTube. — Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 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