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

The White House responds that the factory boom is already underway and points to statistics showing that manufacturing jobs, after falling last year, are on the upswing and work in certain nonresidential construction trades is rising, too. — ABC News, 11 Oct. 2026

The 49ers under Shanahan and general manager John Lynch have been one of the NFL’s most aggressive teams making midseason trades. — Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 9 Oct. 2026

For some trades, like tool and die makers, nearly half the workforce is over 55. — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2026

To be sure, interpreting bid-ask spreads can get murky when analyzing far out-of-the-money trades with low open interest and volume. — Oliver Renick, CNBC, 9 Oct. 2026

Reimagine teaching and learning with stronger academics, career and technical training, trades, apprenticeships and college pathways. — Claire Malon, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026

Verb

Based on my forward estimates, the stock trades at roughly 20 times earnings and 17 times enterprise value to EBITDA. — Stephanie Link, CNBC, 12 Oct. 2026

In China, Lauder trades with 17 prestige brands, spanning skin care, makeup, fragrance and hair care, at different price points. — Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026

Rogue is successful and brings Gambit back to life, but in a twist, their X-Men pal Nightcrawler trades places with her and sacrifices himself to keep Rogue alive. — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026

Ford’s new investment in getting trades students to class goes straight at one of these barriers, and that matters. — Christina Sass, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026

The JuicePop Box Lip Tint trades some of that high-gloss shine for more noticeable pigment, while still keeping lips nourished with ceramides and peptides. — Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 6 Oct. 2026

The tech giant vowed to publish its energy and water use annually, and spend more than $1 billion over five years on free community college, trades training, and home energy-efficiency upgrades in data center counties. — Ashley Gold, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2026

No region in the world trades less with itself than Latin America and the Caribbean. — Dan Restrepo, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2026

This faux chili berry wreath trades the usual suspects for petite burgundy and pink berries and chartreuse leaves. — Vy Yang, Architectural Digest, 28 Sep. 2026