: an item of merchandise (such as an automobile or refrigerator) taken as payment or part payment for a purchase
traded in; trading in; trades in
1
: to turn in as payment or part payment for a purchase or bill
trade the old car in on a new one
2
Examples of trade-in in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Stacy Noblet, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2025
Carrier deals and trade-ins could help lower the cost of the iPhone 16e, though.
—Joe Hindy, PCMAG, 19 Feb. 2025
Daniel Nugent-Bowman, The Athletic, 17 Feb. 2025
Things changed for Samuel when Christian McCaffrey arrived via trade in 2022.
—Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 14 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for trade-in 
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.
Noun
As more EVs make their way into the used car market through organic pathways like lease returns and trade-ins, the supply of affordable EVs will continue to grow in 2025.
—Stacy Noblet, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2025
Carrier deals and trade-ins could help lower the cost of the iPhone 16e, though.
—Joe Hindy, PCMAG, 19 Feb. 2025
Verb
One is injured and has missed the whole season, whereas the other was traded in the summer.
—Daniel Nugent-Bowman, The Athletic, 17 Feb. 2025
Things changed for Samuel when Christian McCaffrey arrived via trade in 2022.
—Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 14 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for trade-in
Dictionary Entries Near trade-in
Cite this Entry
“Trade-in.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trade-in. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share