: 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
Jamie L. Lareau, Freep.com, 25 Feb. 2026
Republic Goods and Buffalo Exchange both offer consignment or trade-ins and Main Street Mercantile has antiques and unique finds in addition to clothing.
—Mackenzie Jervis, Travel + Leisure, 15 Feb. 2026
Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 3 Mar. 2026
Brent crude, the global benchmark, was trading in the high $70s on Monday morning following the effective halt of tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
—Camila Domonoske, NPR, 2 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for trade-in
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Noun
To gauge where average transaction prices — the price the customer pays after all discounts and trade-ins are deducted — are heading, look to inventory, said Mark Schirmer, Cox Automotive spokesman.
—Jamie L. Lareau, Freep.com, 25 Feb. 2026
Republic Goods and Buffalo Exchange both offer consignment or trade-ins and Main Street Mercantile has antiques and unique finds in addition to clothing.
—Mackenzie Jervis, Travel + Leisure, 15 Feb. 2026
Verb
About one fifth of the world’s global trade in LNG and daily oil production passes through the narrow stretch of water off Iran’s southern coast, and there are few other options for transporting those cargoes to global markets.
—Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 3 Mar. 2026
Brent crude, the global benchmark, was trading in the high $70s on Monday morning following the effective halt of tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
—Camila Domonoske, NPR, 2 Mar. 2026
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 10 Mar. 2026.
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