trade-off

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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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of trade-off But there are trade-offs here, too. Nikita Ostrovsky, Time, 20 Oct. 2025 Offensively, this group would be messy in all likelihood, but that’s the trade-off. Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 16 Oct. 2025 There are definitely trade-offs for doing so, including seeing costs rise as Bartesian grows and health care prices surge. Maria Aspan, NPR, 16 Oct. 2025 So, in addition to changing particle flavors, using massive force carriers and making the universe left-handed, the weak nuclear force allows the sun to shine — not a bad trade-off for such a weird force. Paul Sutter, Space.com, 14 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for trade-off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trade-off
exchange
Noun
  • Sarkozy was sentenced to five years in jail for criminal conspiracy last month, for his role in a scheme to finance his 2007 presidential campaign with funds from Libya in exchange for diplomatic favors.
    Catherine Nicholls, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2025
  • Iza forwarded the exchange to an associate, as well as a photo of himself posing with a group of officers.
    Jesse Hyde, Rolling Stone, 21 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Trade-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trade-off. Accessed 27 Oct. 2025.

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