1
: a balancing of factors all of which are not attainable at the same time
Governments face a trade-off between privacy and increasing the effectiveness of tax collection.—
Ricardo Perez-Truglia and Ugo Troiano
Ricardo Perez-Truglia and Ugo Troiano2
: a giving up of one thing in return for another : exchange
trade off
transitive verb
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
This demonstrates the inherent trade-off of index investing.
—Dara-Abasi Ita, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
When modeling this way, trade-offs became visible.
—Eric Williams, The Conversation, 18 June 2026
There were mixed feeling about the trade-offs of having both parents work full-time.
—ABC News, 18 June 2026
But there is often a trade-off for those soft first touches.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 18 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for trade-off
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Dara-Abasi Ita, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
When modeling this way, trade-offs became visible.
—Eric Williams, The Conversation, 18 June 2026
There were mixed feeling about the trade-offs of having both parents work full-time.
—ABC News, 18 June 2026
But there is often a trade-off for those soft first touches.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 18 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for trade-off
Cite this Entry
“Trade-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trade-off. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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