trade-off

noun

ˈtrād-ˌȯf 

1

: a balancing of factors all of which are not attainable at the same time

the education versus experience trade-off which governs personnel practices

—H. S. White

2

: a giving up of one thing in return for another : exchange

trade off transitive verb

Synonyms

• back-and-forth
• barter
• commutation
• dicker
• exchange
• quid pro quo
• swap
• trade
• truck

Examples of trade-off in a Sentence

a trade-off in which a company got a celebrity spokesperson and a fading star got some much-needed cash

Recent Examples on the Web

Without reforming its pension system, San Diego will only get further trapped in this cycle of rising pension costs for taxpayers and challenging budget trade-offs. —Mariana Trujillo, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Feb. 2025

The trade-offs in conventional football transfers are rarely so stark, and the relatively short list of high-profile player swap deals in football this century yields potential comparisons of wildly varying quality. —Liam Twomey, The Athletic, 6 Feb. 2025

Bluetooth, another powerful warrior in the forces of convenience, made similar trade-offs in order to spare us a cord. —Michael Owen, The Atlantic, 5 Feb. 2025

All this, of course, comes with downsides and trade-offs. —Kurt Knutsson, Cyberguy Report, Fox News, 5 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1909, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

trade-off

noun

ˈtrād-ˌȯf

1

: a balancing of things all of which cannot be had at the same time

2

: a giving up of one thing in return for another