Synonyms of trade-off

trade-off

noun

ˈtrād-ˌȯf 

as in exchange

a giving or taking of one thing of value in return for another

a trade-off in which a company got a celebrity spokesperson and a fading star got some much-needed cash

Synonyms & Similar Words

• exchange
• swap
• trade
• deal
• back-and-forth
• bargain
• bargaining
• commutation
• barter
• substitution
• dealing
• truck
• replacement
• negotiation
• transaction
• quid pro quo
• dicker
• reciprocation
• recompense
• haggling
• dickering
• horse trade
• horse trading
• logrolling
• requital

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of trade-off

The trade-off for that symmetry is that a low-profile, mirror-image body won't cradle the palm the way a contoured mouse does. — Sascha Brodsky, PC Magazine, 3 Nov. 2026

The trade-off is that your server needs to stay online, and maintaining it may bring some system-admin headaches some users may want to avoid. — ArsTechnica, 2 Nov. 2026

Directing these dollars toward an additional payment comes with a potential trade-off for Chicagoans, putting youth jobs, homelessness services, libraries, community violence intervention programs, and basic neighborhood services at risk. — Todd Feurer, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026

AuroraCell’s cathode design aims to solve this trade-off directly. — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 2 Nov. 2026