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

Basis trades are an arbitrage bet in which hedge funds are positioned long in cash Treasurys while shorting their corresponding futures contracts, with the aim of profiting from the price gap. — Hugh Leask, CNBC, 18 Oct. 2026

According to a 2026 survey funded by a high school trades group and conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago, 1 in 6 students reported trying to enroll in trades courses but being turned down due to a lack of space. — P.r. Lockhart, Hartford Courant, 18 Oct. 2026

Pelinka mentioned the possibility of consolidation trades to reach the maximum number, but no transactions have materialized, especially with the Lakers trying to cling to their limited draft assets. — Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026

The team simply cannot afford any more trades involving the future. — James Mirtle, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026

Users had to approve trades, and the assistants couldn’t make payments or withdraw money. — Joshua Hong, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2026

Reinwald said her priorities if elected include expanding career technical education pathways for students interested in trades after high school, securing more state funding and supporting the retention of teachers and other school staff. — Camryn Dadey, Sacbee.com, 15 Oct. 2026

One thousand workers in 30 trades renovated the building between March 2024 and July 2026. — Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026

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

Verb

As nature trades its summer greens for a rich tapestry of amber, rust, burgundy, and gold, our wardrobes are following suit—and with all manner of vibrant, textured, statement-making accessories piled on top. — Ciarra Lorren Zatorski, Vogue, 17 Oct. 2026

In August, the German bank Scalable Capital opened its platform to AI models like ChatGPT, Claude, and Grok, letting users analyze portfolios, set up savings plans, and place trades through prompts. — Joshua Hong, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2026

Fusio trades the industry standard rectangular pontoons for hexagonal ones. — Sal Vaglica, Time, 15 Oct. 2026

But the stock often trades with semiconductor capital equipment stocks like Applied Materials and Lam Research , and the portfolio has plenty of semiconductor exposure via Nvidia , Intel , Micron , and Broadcom. — Jeff Marks, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2026

Six Flags Entertainment Corporation stock, which trades under the ticker symbol FUN, fell 12% in early trading. — Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 13 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

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