1
: a balancing of factors all of which are not attainable at the same time
the education versus experience trade-off which governs personnel practices—
H. S. White
H. S. White2
: a giving up of one thing in return for another : exchange
trade off
transitive verb
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
The design carries trade-offs that matter for mass production.
—Tejasri Gururaj, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2025
With a refinance, that trade-off carries through.
—Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2025
The First Amendment is worth the trade-off.
—The Detroit News Editorial Board, Twin Cities, 24 Sep. 2025
During today’s announcement, Kennedy at least acknowledged the trade-offs inherent in scaring pregnant Americans off Tylenol, and allowed that, sometimes, using it is unavoidable.
—Tom Bartlett, The Atlantic, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for trade-off
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.
Tejasri Gururaj, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2025
With a refinance, that trade-off carries through.
—Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2025
The First Amendment is worth the trade-off.
—The Detroit News Editorial Board, Twin Cities, 24 Sep. 2025
During today’s announcement, Kennedy at least acknowledged the trade-offs inherent in scaring pregnant Americans off Tylenol, and allowed that, sometimes, using it is unavoidable.
—Tom Bartlett, The Atlantic, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for trade-off
Cite this Entry
“Trade-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trade-off. Accessed 4 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share