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
H. S. White2
: a giving up of one thing in return for another : exchange
trade off
transitive verb
Synonyms
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
Your strategy shouldn't require a trade-off between high performance and robust security, as many CSP solutions only excel in one area at the expense of the other.
—Chris McHenry, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
That’s an acceptable trade-off, as far as we are concerned, because the VMWare acquisition required Broadcom to use financing.
—Zev Fima, CNBC, 13 Dec. 2024
The denial of life, as Havel understood it, can come about not only through accomodation—as a reasonable trade-off for more comfort—but as a result of cynicism, a feeling that nothing is worth sacrificing for.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 13 Dec. 2024
These businesses, launched in 2023 and 2024, were previously funded by the company's equity — an expensive trade-off.
—Lucinda Shen, Axios, 12 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for trade-off 
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Chris McHenry, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
That’s an acceptable trade-off, as far as we are concerned, because the VMWare acquisition required Broadcom to use financing.
—Zev Fima, CNBC, 13 Dec. 2024
The denial of life, as Havel understood it, can come about not only through accomodation—as a reasonable trade-off for more comfort—but as a result of cynicism, a feeling that nothing is worth sacrificing for.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 13 Dec. 2024
These businesses, launched in 2023 and 2024, were previously funded by the company's equity — an expensive trade-off.
—Lucinda Shen, Axios, 12 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for trade-off
Dictionary Entries Near trade-off
Cite this Entry
“Trade-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trade-off. Accessed 25 Dec. 2024.
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