trade down

verb

traded down; trading down; trades down

intransitive verb

1

: to trade something in (such as an automobile) for something less expensive or valuable of its kind

2

: to stock or purchase lower-priced items : economize

Examples of trade down in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Gonzalez will demand a trade well before that happens, but the Patriots do have some options, and Schefter even raised the possibility of a trade down the line. — Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 29 Aug. 2026

At some point consumers change frequency, trade down, change channels or decide another price increase is one too many. — Phil Kafarakis, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Shares in Volkswagen Group, which also owns Skoda and Audi, have tumbled more than 30% over the past 12 months and were trading down almost 2% early afternoon local time on Friday. — Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 24 July 2026

Shares are trading down … due to the increase in FY26E capex and limited upside on 2Q EBIT. — Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 23 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1905, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for trade down

• chinatown
• tumbledown
• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown