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 some retirees, that trade-off is worth it for diversification and peace of mind. —Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026

The trade-offs, including a large scar, longer recovery, and higher costs, did not outweigh the benefits for me. —Dory Zayas, SELF, 20 Jan. 2026

But the trade-off is, of course, performance – and the fan can be manually deactivated if needed. —New Atlas, 18 Jan. 2026

Complex governance decisions, CEO succession timing, strategic trade-offs, board refreshment, were increasingly reduced to binary outcomes. —Jane Sadowsky, Fortune, 17 Jan. 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