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 Dolphins tried to do the same in 2020, offering the Bengals four first-round picks to trade up from fifth to first in an attempt to draft Joe Burrow instead of deciding between Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported over the weekend. Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 22 Dec. 2025 Luggage Deals If your suitcase has seen better days, today’s Super Saturday luggage deals are the perfect excuse to trade up. Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 20 Dec. 2025 Comcast, the third suitor, was trading up about 1%. Mike Snider, USA Today, 5 Dec. 2025 A lot of people want to trade up for a different card. Jeremy Rellosa, Curbed, 4 Dec. 2025 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 25 Dec. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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