as in exchanges
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
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Recent Examples of trade-offs
There are trade-offs versus larger, pricier lenses, though.
—
Jim Fisher, PC Magazine, 6 Apr. 2026
Americans accept far more brutal trade-offs, such as nearly 37,000 annual motor-vehicle deaths in exchange for our incredible mobility.
—Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 3 Apr. 2026
That said, these long voyages also come with trade-offs that aren’t always obvious at first glance.
—Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 3 Apr. 2026
Other companies are being forced to make trade-offs when deciding where to place their bets.
—Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 1 Apr. 2026
Each comes with trade-offs in durability, insulation, light transmission and cost.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Kansas City Star, 1 Apr. 2026
But staff found each option carried trade-offs in cost, visibility or effectiveness.
—Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 30 Mar. 2026
Those trade-offs carry risk, Cotality analysts wrote in May 2025.
—Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026
It's shaped by slow procurement cycles, tight constraints, and hard trade-offs between capability, cost, and reliability.
—Interesting Engineering, 23 Mar. 2026
Jim Fisher, PC Magazine, 6 Apr. 2026
Americans accept far more brutal trade-offs, such as nearly 37,000 annual motor-vehicle deaths in exchange for our incredible mobility.
—Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 3 Apr. 2026
That said, these long voyages also come with trade-offs that aren’t always obvious at first glance.
—Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 3 Apr. 2026
Other companies are being forced to make trade-offs when deciding where to place their bets.
—Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 1 Apr. 2026
Each comes with trade-offs in durability, insulation, light transmission and cost.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Kansas City Star, 1 Apr. 2026
But staff found each option carried trade-offs in cost, visibility or effectiveness.
—Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 30 Mar. 2026
Those trade-offs carry risk, Cotality analysts wrote in May 2025.
—Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026
It's shaped by slow procurement cycles, tight constraints, and hard trade-offs between capability, cost, and reliability.
—Interesting Engineering, 23 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trade-offs
exchanges
Noun
-
Strategies to reduce returns range from charging for return shipping to providing more granular sizing information and incentivizing exchanges over refunds.—
Elsa Ohlen,
CNBC,
5 Apr. 2026
-
The Nuggets started the game with Jokic on Wembanyama and Aaron Gordon ready to switch on screen exchanges between Wemby and Stephon Castle.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Trade-offs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trade-offs. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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