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
Neither of us particularly relished adding a mile-long walk to the end of the night, but the trade-off was avoiding the worst of the inevitable rideshare chaos.
—Adam Tschorn, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2024
Unless major changes are made to alter the current path, Americans will face harsh trade-offs, with the possibilities including: crushing tax increases, severe spending cuts, the degradation of military readiness, economic stagnation, or some combination of all of the above.
—The Editors, National Review, 20 June 2024
Some foreign policy questions don’t have easy answers, and the trade-off between energy sanctions and potential inflation is a prime example.
—David Ignatius, Washington Post, 18 June 2024
However, there’s a trade-off: borrowers must pay mortgage insurance premiums (MIP) to protect the lender in case of default.
—Essence, 14 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for trade-off 
Adam Tschorn, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2024
Unless major changes are made to alter the current path, Americans will face harsh trade-offs, with the possibilities including: crushing tax increases, severe spending cuts, the degradation of military readiness, economic stagnation, or some combination of all of the above.
—The Editors, National Review, 20 June 2024
Some foreign policy questions don’t have easy answers, and the trade-off between energy sanctions and potential inflation is a prime example.
—David Ignatius, Washington Post, 18 June 2024
However, there’s a trade-off: borrowers must pay mortgage insurance premiums (MIP) to protect the lender in case of default.
—Essence, 14 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for trade-off
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'trade-off.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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 27 Jun. 2024.
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