SINCE 1828
trade
noun
\ ˈtrād
\
\
Definition of trade
(Entry 1 of 3)
b
obsolete
: dealings between persons or groups
2a
: an act or instance of trading : transaction
also
: an exchange of property usually without use of money
b
: a firm's customers : clientele
c
: the group of firms engaged in a business or industry
3a
: an occupation requiring manual or mechanical skill : craft
b
: the business or work in which one engages regularly : occupation
c
: the persons engaged in an occupation, business, or industry
4
: a customary course of action : practice
thy sin's not accidental, but a trade— William Shakespeare
5
: trade wind
—usually used in plural
6
: a publication intended for persons in the entertainment business
—usually used in plural
trade
verb
traded;
trading
Definition of trade (Entry 2 of 3)
1
: to give one thing in exchange for another
2a
: to engage in the exchange, purchase, or sale of goods
b
: to make one's purchases : shop
trades at his store
3
: sell sense 3
b
: to engage in frequent buying and selling of (stocks, commodities, etc.) usually in search of quick profits
2
archaic
: to do business with
trade on
: to take often unscrupulous advantage of : exploit
traded on their influence … in securing special favors— T. C. Pease
trade
adjectiveDefinition of trade (Entry 3 of 3)
1
: of, relating to, or used in trade
2a
: intended for or limited to persons in a business or industry
a trade publication trade sales
b
: serving others in the same business rather than the ultimate user or consumer
a trade printing house
3
or less commonly trades
: of, composed of, or representing the trades or trade unions
a trade committee
4
: having a larger softcover format than that of a mass-market paperback and usually sold only in bookstores
trade paperbacks
also
: of or relating to the publishing of such books
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Other Words from trade
Verb
tradable
or less commonly tradeable \ ˈtrā-də-bəl
\
adjective
\
adjective
Synonyms for trade
Synonyms: Noun
back-and-forth, barter, commutation, dicker, exchange, quid pro quo, swap, trade-off, truck
Synonyms: Verb
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Examples of trade in a Sentence
Noun
the trade between the two countries Trade accounts for half of our gross national product. The Tigers made a few good trades this season and picked up some promising players.Verb
If you don't like your seat, I'll trade with you. I traded seats with her halfway through the show. He was traded to the Yankees. They traded him to the Broncos. I traded my pen for a pencil and kept writing. Their firm specializes in trading bonds. She mostly trades in stocks.
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Okpala wound up missing all of summer league after being unable to join the team until the July 6 completion of his draft-day trade. — Ira Winderman, sun-sentinel.com, "Heat fall in summer finale in OT despite 26 from Robinson, as draft picks sit," 14 July 2019 Although generic tigers have been officially considered endangered since 1970, and selling them across state lines was not legal unless done for a conservation purpose, the agency did not regulate their trade. — oregonlive.com, "The trouble with tigers in America," 13 July 2019 In their trades so far this offseason, Oklahoma City has compiled eight first-round picks since the NBA draft. — Jill Martin, CNN, "Reports: Oklahoma City trades Russell Westbrook to the Rockets for Chris Paul, draft picks," 12 July 2019 Before opening Via Sophia on the corner of 14th and K streets NW in June, the chef, 33, plied his trade at the refined Fiola Mare in Georgetown and the dashing Le Diplomate in Logan Circle. — Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, "Via Sophia upgrades the hotel dining experience in downtown D.C.," 12 July 2019 Despite being born in Oldham, a town in Greater Manchester, Kent slipped through the nets of both City and United and ended up learning his footballing trade at Anfield. — SI.com, "Ryan Kent: 5 Things to Know About Liverpool Star Wanted By Rangers Boss Steven Gerrard," 12 July 2019 After 11 seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder, 8-time NBA All-Star and 2017 league MVP Russell Westbrook will take the floor next season in a new uniform following his trade to the Houston Rockets. — Nick Schwartz, For The Win, "Russell Westbrook says goodbye to Oklahoma City in touching post," 12 July 2019 Snacks was a very good player in this league prior to his trade to Detroit. — Jamie Samuelsen, Detroit Free Press, "2019 DESPY Awards: Celebrating the best in Michigan sports after a year of close calls," 11 July 2019 The petting zoo returns from 4 to 7 p.m., and blacksmith Tim Dodd continues to ply his trade during the same hours. — cleveland.com, "Home Days in Broadview Heights continues this weekend," 11 July 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
About 20% of all oil traded worldwide passes through the Strait of Hormuz from Middle East producers. — Author: Aya Batrawy, Amir Vahdat, Anchorage Daily News, "Britain says Iranian vessels tried to block oil tanker," 11 July 2019 Markets think there's a 100% chance that the Fed cuts rates at its July meeting, according to futures traded on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. — Julia Horowitz, CNN, "Virgin Galactic going public; Jerome Powell week; Auto warnings," 9 July 2019 Porter was originally drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks before having his rights traded to the Detroit Pistons on draft night and then to Cleveland on June 26. — Chris Fedor, cleveland.com, "Cleveland Cavaliers sign Darius Garland, Dylan Windler and Kevin Porter Jr. to rookie deals," 3 July 2019 Music publishing trades on multiples of net publisher share (NPS, also known as gross profit), while record labels generally trade on EBITDA multiples. — Ed Christman, Billboard, "After Scooter Braun's Big Machine Acquisition, Is a Fourth Major Label On the Horizon?," 2 July 2019 The Warriors are eligible to trade Russell on Dec. 15, roughly around the front end of Thompson’s projected five- to seven-month recovery from the knee injury. — Connor Letourneau, SFChronicle.com, "Why the Warriors gave up so much to land D’Angelo Russell," 2 July 2019 The new shares that began trading on June 20 slid immediately, losing 40% percent of their market value the first week. — Maria Halkias, Dallas News, "Pier 1 Imports gets buried in a crowded home furnishings market," 30 June 2019 Friday will represent a milestone for the commerce of secondhand-fashion as the RealReal begins trading on the Nasdaq stock market. — Sapna Maheshwari, New York Times, "The RealReal Goes Public as Secondhand Fashion Becomes First Choice," 27 June 2019 Blue sharks are the main species traded legally on the Hong Kong shark fin market. — National Geographic, "In the Alaska-Yukon wilderness, wildlife crime fighters face a daunting task," 25 June 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
The physical components of that particular device were not trade secrets or protected by federal law from being disclosed, the court filing said. — Chris Fuchs, NBC News, "Scientist Formerly Accused of Spying Sues Alleging FBI Agent Falsified Evidence," 11 May 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'trade.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for trade
trade
noun
English Language Learners Definition of trade
(Entry 1 of 2)
: the activity or process of buying, selling, or exchanging goods or services
: the amount of things or services that are bought and sold : the money made by buying and selling things or services
: the act of exchanging one thing for another
trade
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of trade (Entry 2 of 2)
: to give something to someone and receive something in return : to give something in exchange for something else
US, sports
: to give (one of your players) to another team in exchange for one of their players
: to stop using (one thing) and start using another
See the full definition for trade in the English Language Learners Dictionary
trade
noun
\ ˈtrād
\
\
Kids Definition of trade
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: the business or work in which a person takes part regularly : occupation
2
: the business of buying and selling items : commerce
3
: an occupation requiring manual or mechanical skill : craft
4
: an act of trading : transaction
5
: the persons working in a business or industry
6
: a firm's customers
trade
verb
traded;
trading
Kids Definition of trade (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: to give in exchange for something else
I'll trade my apple for your banana.
2
: to take part in the exchange, purchase, or sale of goods
Our country trades in many parts of the world.
3
: to deal regularly as a customer
Because of bad service, I don't trade there anymore.
trade
nounLegal Definition of trade
(Entry 1 of 3)
1a
: the business or work in which one engages regularly
b
: an occupation requiring manual or mechanical skill
c
: the persons engaged in an occupation
2
: the business of buying and selling or bartering commodities
3
: an act or instance of trading
also
: an exchange of property usually without use of money
trade
verb
traded;
trading
Legal Definition of trade (Entry 2 of 3)
1
: to engage in the exchange, purchase, or sale of goods
2
: to give one thing in exchange for another
3
: to engage in selling
1
: to give in exchange for another commodity
also
: to make an exchange of
2
: to engage in frequent buying and selling of (as stocks or commodities) usually in search of quick profits
trade
adjectiveLegal Definition of trade (Entry 3 of 3)
1
: of, relating to, or used in trade or in a particular trade or business
2
also trades
: of, composed of, or representing the trades or labor unions
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