trade

1 of 3

noun

ˈtrād 

1

a(1)

: the business of buying and selling or bartering commodities : commerce

(2)

: business, market

novelties for the tourist trade

did a good trade in small appliances

b

obsolete : dealings between persons or groups

2

a

: 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

3

a

: 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

7

a

obsolete : a path traversed : way

b

archaic : a track or trail left by a person or animal : tread sense 4

trade

2 of 3

verb

traded; trading

intransitive verb

1

: to give one thing in exchange for another

2

a

: 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

4

obsolete : to have dealings : negotiate

transitive verb

1

a

: to give in exchange for another commodity : barter

also : to make an exchange of

traded places

b

: to engage in frequent buying and selling of (stocks, commodities, etc.) usually in search of quick profits

2

archaic : to do business with

tradable adjective

or less commonly tradeable

ˈtrā-də-bəl 

trade

3 of 3

adjective

1

: of, relating to, or used in trade

2

a

: 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

Phrases

trade on

: to take often unscrupulous advantage of : exploit

traded on their influence … in securing special favors

—T. C. Pease

Synonyms

Noun

• exchange

Verb

• deal
• sell

Choose the Right Synonym for trade

business, commerce, trade, industry, traffic mean activity concerned with the supplying and distribution of commodities.

business may be an inclusive term but specifically designates the activities of those engaged in the purchase or sale of commodities or in related financial transactions.

commerce and trade imply the exchange and transportation of commodities.

industry applies to the producing of commodities, especially by manufacturing or processing, usually on a large scale.

traffic applies to the operation and functioning of public carriers of goods and persons.

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

Another bottleneck is a lack of talent in the form of the blue-collar trades, specifically electricians, Porat noted, echoing other Fortune 500 leaders such as Ford CEO Jim Farley. —Dave Smith, Fortune, 26 Oct. 2025

The souvenir stalls outside the stadium which do a roaring trade on matchdays are also feeling the squeeze from the lack of games — and the bad weather that accompanied the ones that were played recently against Chelsea and Sunderland. —Andy Mitten, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025

Verb

Once the final frame got underway, chaos ensued as the undefeated NEPSAC programs traded blows. —Brendan Connelly, Boston Herald, 26 Oct. 2025

Jones is similarly accused of trading on his friendships for information to tip off bettors. —Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 26 Oct. 2025

Adjective

Traded by the Bills to Houston before last season, where a season-ending knee injury limited him to eight games, Diggs will be playing in Buffalo for the first time post-trade. —Andrew Greif, NBC news, 6 Oct. 2025

The Cowboys will take the field for the first time post-trade next week in their season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles. —Kevin McCormick, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Middle Low German; akin to Old High German trata track, course, Old English tredan to tread

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 7b

Verb

1553, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 4

Adjective

1625, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing trade

• balance of trade
• board of trade
• by trade
• cap-and-trade
• carriage trade
• cross-trade
• do a roaring business/trade
• fair trade
• fair-trade agreement
• free trade
• horse trade
• ply for hire/business/trade
• ply one's trade
• rough trade
• slave trade
• stock-in-trade
• the rag trade
• tools of the/one's trade
• trade acceptance
• trade agreement
• trade book
• trade deficit
• trade discount
• trade dollar
• trade down
• trade edition
• trade fair
• trade gap
• trade in
• trade insults
• trade language
• trade-last
• trade name
• trade-off
• trade on
• trade places with (someone)
• trade route
• trade school
• trade secret
• trade show
• trade surplus
• trade union
• trade up
• trade wind
• trick of the/one's trade

Rhymes for trade

• aid
• aide
• bade
• blade
• braid
• clade
• dade
• fade
• flayed
• fraid
• frayed
• gade

Kids Definition

trade

1 of 3 noun

ˈtrād 

1

: the business or work in which a person takes part regularly : occupation

2

: an occupation requiring manual or mechanical skill

3

: the persons working in an occupation, business, or industry

4

: the business of buying and selling items : commerce

5

a

: an act or instance of trading : transaction

b

: an exchange of property without use of money : swap

6

: a firm's customers

7

: trade wind

—usually used in plural

trade

2 of 3 verb

traded; trading

1

a

: to give in exchange for something else

b

: to make an exchange of

traded places

2

a

: to take part in the exchange, purchase, or sale of goods

b

: to deal regularly as a customer

trade

3 of 3 adjective

: of, relating to, or used in trade

Legal Definition

trade

1 of 3 noun

1

a

: 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

2 of 3 verb

traded; trading

intransitive verb

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

transitive verb

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

tradable adjective

also tradeable

trader noun

trade

3 of 3 adjective

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