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
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Recent Examples of trade-off
Whether that trade-off ultimately produces better bankers, or simply fewer of them, may be the defining talent question on Wall Street for the next decade.
—
Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 8 June 2026
Accept the trade-offs No credit card can do it all and is the best in every situation.
—Jason Stauffer, CNBC, 8 June 2026
Some larger workstation chassis nowadays include a bay for a second power supply (often the design is a trade-off between using that second supply bay and a drive-bay cage).
—John Burek, PC Magazine, 7 June 2026
The trade-off is that Traditional Medicare does not include everything.
—Eve Cunningham, Forbes.com, 6 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for trade-off
Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 8 June 2026
Accept the trade-offs No credit card can do it all and is the best in every situation.
—Jason Stauffer, CNBC, 8 June 2026
Some larger workstation chassis nowadays include a bay for a second power supply (often the design is a trade-off between using that second supply bay and a drive-bay cage).
—John Burek, PC Magazine, 7 June 2026
The trade-off is that Traditional Medicare does not include everything.
—Eve Cunningham, Forbes.com, 6 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for trade-off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trade-off
exchange
Noun
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Covid pandemic-era border closures hampered exchange between the two sides and later, Pyongyang grew closer to Moscow, deploying what are believed to be thousands of soldiers to aid Russia’s war against Ukraine.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
8 June 2026
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But fear not, the exchange actually goes quite well!—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Trade-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trade-off. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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