trade wind

noun

: a wind blowing almost constantly in one direction

especially : a wind blowing almost continually toward the equator from the northeast in the belt between the northern horse latitudes and the doldrums and from the southeast in the belt between the southern horse latitudes and the doldrums

—usually used in plural

Examples of trade wind in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Draping from doorways, light linens billow in the trade winds, and colobus monkeys scamper in treetops overhead. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Dec. 2025

There were trade winds swirling as the team fielded offers for Shane Bieber and Steven Kwan, two of its cornerstones. —Zack Meisel, New York Times, 13 Nov. 2025

The calm Caribbean waters on the island’s west coast are ideal with minimal currents and steady trade winds. —Adrienne Jordan, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025

Over thousands of years, northeast trade winds pushed this sand inland, gradually forming the massive dune fields. —Aaron Randolph, Travel + Leisure, 5 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1615, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for trade wind

• underpinned
• chagrined
• crosswind
• downwind
• rescind
• upwind
• whirlwind
• woodwind
• finned
• ginned
• grinned
• pinned

Kids Definition

trade wind

noun

: a wind blowing almost constantly toward the equator from an easterly direction