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• trade-off
  trade-off

  noun

  the exchange of one thing for another of more or less equal value, especially to effect a compromise.
• trade off
  trade off

  Exchange one thing for another, especially as a compromise. For example, They were willing to trade off some vacation for the freedom to work flexible hours. This idiom gave rise to tradeoff for “an exchange.” [First half of 1800s]

trade-off

American  

[trayd-awf, -of] / ˈtreɪdˌɔf, -ˌɒf /

Or tradeoff

noun

• trade-offs
  plural

1. the exchange of one thing for another of more or less equal value, especially to effect a compromise.

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trade-off British  

noun

1. an exchange, esp as a compromise

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trade off Idioms  

1. Exchange one thing for another, especially as a compromise. For example, They were willing to trade off some vacation for the freedom to work flexible hours. This idiom gave rise to tradeoff for “an exchange.” [First half of 1800s]

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Usage

What is a trade-off? A trade-off is an exchange of one thing for another. A trade-off can be literal, involving physical items, like in a lunch trade-off, where you get your friend’s lunch and they get yours. A trade-off can also be figurative, as when you have to stay home because you’re sick but the trade-off is you get to stay in bed all day. In this sense, a trade-off is a kind of compromise. Example: The big trade-off to running a marathon is getting to eat a lot of pasta!

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• trade-offs
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of trade-off

First recorded in 1960–65; noun use of verb phrase trade off

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Compare meaning

How does trade-off compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• trade-off vs. opportunity cost

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Explanation

A trade-off is a kind of compromise that involves giving up something in return for getting something else. When looking you for an after-school job, you might have to make a trade-off: a lower hourly wage for a more convenient location, for example. There are all kinds of trade-offs: one trade-off might be buying a new laptop that's very lightweight and portable but doesn't have as much memory as you wish it had. In economics, a trade-off is defined as an "opportunity cost." For example, you might take a day off work to go to a concert, gaining the opportunity of seeing your favorite band, while losing a day's wages as the cost for that opportunity.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

trade-off trade off trade-offs

Scientists at Lund University have discovered that these competing demands come with a surprising trade-off.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2026

Michael Priestley, policy manager with the National Sheep Association, said there was now a "trade-off" between the benefit of eased restrictions and the increased risk of the virus spreading.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

The picturesque Kenyan island of Lamu, a favourite of celebrities, faces a tough trade-off after becoming the construction site for Africa's latest mega-refinery.

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

I’m particularly interested in understanding the trade-off between paying taxes today at what may already be a relatively high marginal rate vs. potentially paying higher taxes later.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026

Moreover, if this trade-off is not acknowledged, there is a tendency to deny or cover up the inevitable defective items, which makes the job of quality control that much more difficult.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos

But for investors worried about an overconcentration in tech stocks, that trade off might be well worth it.

From Barron's ● May 7, 2026

Moving the softball and canoe slalom events outside of Southern California is a trade off though.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 15, 2026

To investigate whether this trade off was unavoidable, the Cambridge researchers intentionally created what they expected to be a poorly performing system.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 6, 2026

Speaking in the Commons after the arrests, security minister Dan Jarvis said the UK would not "trade off security for economic access".

From BBC ● Mar. 4, 2026

“You guard, I’ll unwind. We can trade off later.”

From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins

Reza Baqir of Alvarez & Marsal's Sovereign Advisory Services said he has experience with the difficult trade-offs policymakers in low-income countries face in such crises.

From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026

"Our messages indeed apply to most countries, but again, the trade-offs and the choices that have to be made are much more difficult for the most vulnerable countries," Koeva Brooks said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026

Still, it comes with the usual trade-offs: a closed ecosystem that requires your whole household to be completely enmeshed in Apple’s universe.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

As demand for AI grows, who benefits and what are the trade-offs?

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

There’s a strong human tendency to want everything, and to deny that trade-offs are usually necessary.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos

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