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
Takaichi has promised to be a resolute leader, but will need to learn the art of compromise while juggling priorities and trade-offs on domestic policies.
—Jeff Kingston, Time, 4 Oct. 2025
On the broader question of how model makers should approach deployment, Kass argued that the trade-offs of releasing powerful technology early are worth it.
—Mackenzie Sigalos, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2025
The trade-off is expensive filter materials and weather sensitivity.
—Tejasri Gururaj, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2025
But the trade-off is a higher price.
—PC Magazine, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for trade-off
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Jeff Kingston, Time, 4 Oct. 2025
On the broader question of how model makers should approach deployment, Kass argued that the trade-offs of releasing powerful technology early are worth it.
—Mackenzie Sigalos, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2025
The trade-off is expensive filter materials and weather sensitivity.
—Tejasri Gururaj, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2025
But the trade-off is a higher price.
—PC Magazine, 2 Oct. 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 5 Oct. 2025.
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