trade down

verb

traded down; trading down; trades down

intransitive verb

1

: to trade something in (such as an automobile) for something less expensive or valuable of its kind

2

: to stock or purchase lower-priced items : economize

Examples of trade down in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Tesla — Elon Musk's auto manufacturer shed earlier gains and last traded down 3%. — Darla Mercado, Cfp®,fred Imbert, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026

After just under two weeks of trading as one company, Skydance shares have been struggling, trading down about 3% middday Monday at under $7, near their low; the stock was pushing $10 when the WBD deal closed October 6. — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 19 Oct. 2026

Its lower-income customers are trading down to less expensive items and store brands, which either pinches Albertsons’ margins or sends shoppers to Walmart and Kroger. — Phil Wahba, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026

Gonzalez will demand a trade well before that happens, but the Patriots do have some options, and Schefter even raised the possibility of a trade down the line. — Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 29 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1905, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for trade down

• chinatown
• tumbledown
• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown