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balance of trade
noun phrase
: the difference in value over a period of time between a country's imports and exports
Examples of balance of trade in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The resulting negative balance of trade (Imports>Exports) is also a negative in the GDP calculation.
—Robert Barone, Forbes, 7 Sep. 2024
That also drastically and rapidly shifted the nation’s balance of trade on oil.
—Ken Roberts, Forbes, 16 Aug. 2024
In the complex world of economic balance of trade accounting, international students are the tourists visiting U.S. campuses.
—Barnet Sherman, The Conversation, 13 Aug. 2024
But Washington quickly pressured Japan to turn the FSX program into a joint U.S.-Japanese venture; U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger both appealed to the Japanese government, citing balance of trade concerns.
—Humza Ahmad, Foreign Affairs, 22 Mar. 2012
But these Chinese goods are still entering Latin American markets at a frantic pace: the region’s balance of trade with China, still in surplus in 2005, had fallen into a deep deficit of $30 billion by 2015.
—Luke Patey, Foreign Affairs, 21 Nov. 2016
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Word History
First Known Use
1668, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near balance of trade
Cite this Entry
“Balance of trade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/balance%20of%20trade. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
More from Merriam-Webster on balance of trade
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about balance of trade
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