: an item of merchandise (such as an automobile or refrigerator) taken as payment or part payment for a purchase
traded in; trading in; trades in
1
: to turn in as payment or part payment for a purchase or bill
trade the old car in on a new one
2
Examples of trade-in in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 5 Nov. 2025
More than one in four trade-ins had negative equity in the third quarter of 2025, Edmunds reports.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025
Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 6 Nov. 2025
Fellow robotaxi firm Pony AI also starts trading in Hong Kong today after its own IPO on that exchange.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for trade-in
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Save your car seat for the next Target car seat trade-in event.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 5 Nov. 2025
More than one in four trade-ins had negative equity in the third quarter of 2025, Edmunds reports.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025
Verb
What was once a place for summer escapes is quickly turning into a year-round destination for wealthy international buyers, many of whom are trading in London, Stockholm, or Frankfurt for the island’s slower pace of life.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 6 Nov. 2025
Fellow robotaxi firm Pony AI also starts trading in Hong Kong today after its own IPO on that exchange.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for trade-in
Cite this Entry
“Trade-in.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trade-in. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share