1
: a balancing of factors all of which are not attainable at the same time
the education versus experience trade-off which governs personnel practices—
H. S. White
H. S. White2
: a giving up of one thing in return for another : exchange
trade off
transitive verb
Examples of trade-off in a Sentence
a trade-off in which a company got a celebrity spokesperson and a fading star got some much-needed cash
Recent Examples on the Web
However, the trade-off is the superior aesthetics and seamless integration into a building’s design.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 6 Sep. 2025
Apple Intelligence has a fundamental trade-off.
—Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Many parents are forced to think in terms of trade-offs, the study found, weighing the importance of family trips against retirement savings or their children's college funds.
—Madeline Mitchell, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
Recently, it's made only minor tweaks to the iPhone's screen and edges, although the Air could come with trade-offs like lower battery life.
—Emily Forlini, PC Magazine, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for trade-off
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Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 6 Sep. 2025
Apple Intelligence has a fundamental trade-off.
—Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Many parents are forced to think in terms of trade-offs, the study found, weighing the importance of family trips against retirement savings or their children's college funds.
—Madeline Mitchell, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
Recently, it's made only minor tweaks to the iPhone's screen and edges, although the Air could come with trade-offs like lower battery life.
—Emily Forlini, PC Magazine, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for trade-off
Cite this Entry
“Trade-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trade-off. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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