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

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

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