trade-off

noun

ˈtrād-ˌȯf 

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

2

: a giving up of one thing in return for another : exchange

trade off transitive verb

Synonyms of trade-off

• exchange

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

But just keep in mind that there are trade-offs -- and this gets back to what Mark was talking about. — ABC News, 28 June 2026

The challenge is figuring out which trade-offs matter most to you. — Bydavid Schepp, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 June 2026

That, ultimately, is the trade-off for trying to be a ball- and territory-dominant team. — Liam Tharme, New York Times, 30 June 2026

No aesthetic trade-offs Usually, sustainable cement alternatives have had an appearance problem. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 30 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1909, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for trade-off

• cerenkov
• ashraf
• checkoff
• cutoff
• falloff
• handoff
• kickoff
• layoff
• liftoff
• markoff
• markov
• payoff

Kids Definition

trade-off

noun

ˈtrād-ˌȯf

1

: a balancing of things all of which cannot be had at the same time

2

: a giving up of one thing in return for another