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
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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

Word History

First Known Use

1668, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of balance of trade was in 1668

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 8 Nov. 2024.

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