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
Consider the trade-offs between loan length and APR to make decisions that align with your financial goals.
—True Tamplin, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2025
With the force-velocity trade-off at play, this will change a songbird’s way of singing as well.
—Maja Mielke, JSTOR Daily, 20 Feb. 2025
Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images/Getty Images North America Answering Ho's questions under oath, however, Adams repeatedly said there was no explicit trade-off, linking his cooperation with the Trump administration on immigration enforcement in New York City to lenient treatment by the DOJ.
—Brian Mann, NPR, 19 Feb. 2025
However, these savings come with trade-offs, including potential impairments to Social Security services that many Americans rely upon.
—Robert Thorpe, Newsweek, 19 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for trade-off 
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True Tamplin, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2025
With the force-velocity trade-off at play, this will change a songbird’s way of singing as well.
—Maja Mielke, JSTOR Daily, 20 Feb. 2025
Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images/Getty Images North America Answering Ho's questions under oath, however, Adams repeatedly said there was no explicit trade-off, linking his cooperation with the Trump administration on immigration enforcement in New York City to lenient treatment by the DOJ.
—Brian Mann, NPR, 19 Feb. 2025
However, these savings come with trade-offs, including potential impairments to Social Security services that many Americans rely upon.
—Robert Thorpe, Newsweek, 19 Feb. 2025
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 24 Feb. 2025.
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