trade-in

1 of 2

noun

ˈtrād-ˌin 

: an item of merchandise (such as an automobile or refrigerator) taken as payment or part payment for a purchase

trade in

2 of 2

verb

traded in; trading in; trades in

transitive verb

1

: to turn in as payment or part payment for a purchase or bill

trade the old car in on a new one

2

: exchange sense 2

Examples of trade-in in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The machine also comes with a 1978 letter signed by Steve Jobs offering Hatfield a trade-in for an Apple II. — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 28 Sep. 2026

The retailer’s bi-annual trade-in is happening in stores September 20 through October 3, 2026, and parents get rewarded for participating. — Melissa Willets, Parents, 17 Sep. 2026

Verb

According to Polymarket’s own newsy reconstruction in its magazine-like imprint The Oracle, more than $21 million eventually traded in that one market, while Biden’s withdrawal produced the platform’s highest-volume day to that point. — Simon Denny, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026

The Southern economy was underpinned by ports that traded in cotton, rice, sugar, tobacco – and enslaved people. — Ashley Walters, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1915, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1891, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for trade-in

• aneurin
• crystallin
• eosin
• mandolin
• porphyrin
• superfine
• underpin
• vietminh
• violin
• akin
• auxin
• buckskin

Kids Definition

trade-in

1 of 2 noun

ˈtrād-ˌin

: something given in trade usually as part payment for a purchase

trade in

2 of 2 verb

(ˈ)trād-ˈin

: to turn in as a payment or part payment for a purchase