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

For example, a business leader might use AI to translate a vague concern into a specific decision memo, compare the trade-offs between two options or summarize a meeting. — Rawad Baroud, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026

Higher defense spending could support defense companies’ credit quality, S&P said, but may add pressure to sovereign budgets and force politically difficult trade-offs. — Elsa Ohlen, CNBC, 1 July 2026

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

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