1
: a balancing of factors all of which are not attainable at the same time
Governments face a trade-off between privacy and increasing the effectiveness of tax collection.—
Ricardo Perez-Truglia and Ugo Troiano
Ricardo Perez-Truglia and Ugo Troiano2
: 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
In the White House, advisers cited the Phillips Curve to describe this trade-off between employment and inflation.
—Alex Mayyasi, NPR, 7 Apr. 2026
There are trade-offs versus larger, pricier lenses, though.
—Jim Fisher, PC Magazine, 6 Apr. 2026
This is a big deal as making strong steel is typically something of a trade-off.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 5 Apr. 2026
Americans accept far more brutal trade-offs, such as nearly 37,000 annual motor-vehicle deaths in exchange for our incredible mobility.
—Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 3 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for trade-off
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Alex Mayyasi, NPR, 7 Apr. 2026
There are trade-offs versus larger, pricier lenses, though.
—Jim Fisher, PC Magazine, 6 Apr. 2026
This is a big deal as making strong steel is typically something of a trade-off.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 5 Apr. 2026
Americans accept far more brutal trade-offs, such as nearly 37,000 annual motor-vehicle deaths in exchange for our incredible mobility.
—Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 3 Apr. 2026
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 Apr. 2026.
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