trade up

verb

traded up; trading up; trades up

intransitive verb

1
: to trade in (something, such as an automobile) for something more expensive or valuable of its kind
2
: to stock or purchase higher-priced items

Examples of trade up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The second option is trading up. C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 11 May 2026 Ainge would be playing the opposite role of his seismic 2017 trade by presumably trading up for Dybantsa in the 2026 draft. Scott Phillips, New York Times, 11 May 2026 The Patriots traded up to select Lomu 28th overall in the 2026 NFL Draft, using a fourth-round pick to move up from the 31st selection. Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 7 May 2026 As if the acquisitions of veterans Hollywood Brown and Dontayvion Wicks didn’t signal EVP/GM Howie Roseman’s intent to move on from Brown – likely next month, when the salary cap softens the team’s contractual hit – then certainly the trade up for Makai Lemon in Round 1 of the draft did. Jim Reineking, USA Today, 4 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for trade up

Word History

First Known Use

1905, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of trade up was in 1905

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Trade up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trade%20up. Accessed 13 May. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster