: 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
Janhoi McGregor, Forbes.com, 19 June 2025
Local governments in several cities across the country recently paused the consumer goods trade-in program, as the first two batches of central government subsidies have been exhausted with additional funding yet to arrive, Goldman Sachs pointed out.
—Anniek Bao, CNBC, 16 June 2025
Ashley J. Tellis, Foreign Affairs, 17 June 2025
Even without the benefit of hindsight, this immediately vaults into the top-five most stunning, franchise-altering trades in Red Sox history, if not higher.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 16 June 2025
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Noun
Following deals that knocked hundreds of dollars off the Pixel 9 series, and increasingly generous trade-in offers for Samsung’s newest Galaxy S25, the Apple iPhone 16 has now joined in with its own major offer.
—Janhoi McGregor, Forbes.com, 19 June 2025
Local governments in several cities across the country recently paused the consumer goods trade-in program, as the first two batches of central government subsidies have been exhausted with additional funding yet to arrive, Goldman Sachs pointed out.
—Anniek Bao, CNBC, 16 June 2025
Verb
For example, New Delhi’s effort to conduct some of its bilateral trades in local currencies rather than the U.S. dollar, although intended to immunize India against U.S. sanctions on third countries, could provoke a nationalist U.S. administration to limit cooperation with India.
—Ashley J. Tellis, Foreign Affairs, 17 June 2025
Even without the benefit of hindsight, this immediately vaults into the top-five most stunning, franchise-altering trades in Red Sox history, if not higher.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 16 June 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 1 Jul. 2025.
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