Synonyms of trades

trades 1 of 2

noun

plural of trade

1

as in exchanges

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

when the other team unexpectedly offered to hand over its top pitcher for our star shortstop, our coach agreed to the trade

Synonyms & Similar Words

• exchanges
• swaps
• dealings
• trucks
• barters
• dickers
• deals
• commutations
• trade-offs
• transactions
• bargains
• quid pro quos
• substitutions
• negotiations
• replacements
• back-and-forths
• reciprocations
• horse trades
• recompenses
• logrollings
• requitals

2

as in crafts

an occupation requiring skillful use of the hands

a youth eager to learn the trade of cabinetmaking

Synonyms & Similar Words

• crafts
• arts
• skills
• handicrafts
• handcrafts
• occupations
• professions
• métiers
• vocations
• callings

3

as in professions

the activity by which one regularly makes a living

writing is my trade

Synonyms & Similar Words

• professions
• occupations
• vocations
• works
• employments
• lines
• callings
• games
• jobs
• lays
• tasks
• positions
• missions
• businesses
• livelihoods
• assignments
• places
• arts
• enterprises
• crafts
• calls
• situations
• duties
• gigs
• fields
• offices
• handicrafts
• lifeworks
• engagements
• livings
• functions
• appointments
• loads
• rackets
• métiers
• handcrafts
• billets
• posts
• berths
• workloads

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• pursuits
• hobbies
• avocations

4

as in sales

the transfer of ownership of something from one person to another for a price

the trade of all of her holdings in the company just before the stock plunged in value immediately aroused suspicions

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sales
• transactions
• deals
• purchases
• auctions
• negotiations
• bargains
• buys
• steals
• clearances
• fairs
• silent auctions
• haggles
• fire sales
• closeouts
• garage sales
• yard sales
• tag sales
• rummage sales
• jumble sales

trades

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of trade

1

as in deals

to carry on the business of buying and selling goods or other property

the U.S. agreed to trade with China

Synonyms & Similar Words

• deals
• sells
• negotiates
• exchanges
• swaps
• smuggles
• traffics
• purchases
• bargains
• auctions
• barters
• transacts
• markets
• buys
• merchandises
• supplies
• retails
• resells
• horse-trades
• fences
• wholesales
• black-markets
• invests
• corners
• distributes
• peddles
• takes
• fair-trades
• rebuys
• monopolizes
• picks up
• engrosses
• speculates
• day-trades
• vends
• undersells
• bootlegs

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• blacks
• boycotts
• blackballs

2

as in swaps

to give up (something) and take something else in return

I'll trade my chocolate chip cookie for your bag of chips

Synonyms & Similar Words

• exchanges
• swaps
• substitutes
• changes
• switches
• shifts
• replaces
• commutes
• interchanges
• supersedes
• displaces
• yields
• surrenders
• reciprocates
• hands over
• cedes

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of trades

Noun

Over 12 hours, the front office executed five trades that sent six major leaguers — Luis Arraez, Heliot Ramos, Robbie Ray, Tyler Mahle, Caleb Kilian, Erik Miller — to various contenders. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 4 Aug. 2026

For decades, buying stocks has meant going through brokers, waiting for trades to settle, and limited trading when stock markets are closed. — Camila Grigera Naón, Fortune, 4 Aug. 2026

The team has three goalies, nine defencemen and 15 forwards vying for 23 roster spots, meaning trades or waivers will be part of the plan over the next six weeks. — Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026

Their trades from life before the camps are flourishing through small businesses. — Maansi Srivastava, NPR, 21 July 2026

Organizations like The Home Depot, Lowe's and others have made significant investments in skilled trades and contractor education, helping raise awareness and expand access. — Jenny Nail, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026

Verb

Seven weeks later, SpaceX trades below $110, far below its IPO price. — Anastasia Atamanchuk, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2026

Melius raised its price target to $110 from $85, but noted Starbucks already trades at roughly 40 times expected fiscal 2026 earnings, leaving much of the turnaround reflected in the stock price. — Alexa Lomonaco, CNBC, 3 Aug. 2026

Kyle Stowers has drawn interest (reportedly from Houston and others); the Marlins have been listening, but as of Monday morning, a Hicks deal was viewed as more likely than a Stowers deal, if Miami trades either, a source said. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 3 Aug. 2026

Assuming San Francisco trades Arraez, one Giant who stands to receive more opportunities is infielder Osleivis Basabe, who has put on quite the power display over the last 24 hours. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 2 Aug. 2026

Now the director trades free-floating dread for political intrigue in ‘The Samurai and the Prisoner,’ a feudal-era murder mystery about power, responsibility and self-knowledge. — Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026

Los Angeles trades Kelsey Plum and/or Cameron Brink to New York for picks, Betnijah Laney-Hamilton and another bench player. — Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 30 July 2026

Chef Amelia Rampe trades the egg/mayo element for nutty cashews to use as the base for a roasted squash and cauliflower salad. — Alex Beggs, Bon Appetit Magazine, 30 July 2026

Here, the classic espresso martini trades its traditional coffee-forward notes for the warm, roasted depth of hojicha. — Carissa Chesanek, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026