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
This trade-off is unsustainable for AI infrastructure.
—Yuriy Bulygin, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025
The approach often involves making trade-offs that previous generations might not recognize.
—Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 5 Aug. 2025
Murena’s Pixel Tablet, while not perfect, proves that a privacy-forward tablet doesn’t have to come with trade-offs.
—Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 5 Aug. 2025
Since social media can be a great way to get the word out about your business — this might be a worthy trade-off.
—Jasmin Suknanan, CNBC, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for trade-off
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Yuriy Bulygin, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025
The approach often involves making trade-offs that previous generations might not recognize.
—Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 5 Aug. 2025
Murena’s Pixel Tablet, while not perfect, proves that a privacy-forward tablet doesn’t have to come with trade-offs.
—Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 5 Aug. 2025
Since social media can be a great way to get the word out about your business — this might be a worthy trade-off.
—Jasmin Suknanan, CNBC, 4 Aug. 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 21 Aug. 2025.
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