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

The professionals still know what good looks like, still understand the trade-offs, and still recognize when the AI has produced garbage. — New Atlas, 2 Aug. 2026

If speed and trust are still presented as a trade-off in 2026, that is a sign of an immature solution, not an inherent limitation. — Susan Laine, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026

The trade-off between a 3-4-2-1 and 4-2-3-1 is a centre-back vs a No 10. — Luke Bosher, New York Times, 31 July 2026

The trade-off is that enabling this turns off AI features, cloud recording, and other features. — Chris Hoffman, PC Magazine, 31 July 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