balance of trade
Americannoun
noun
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A nation whose imports are worth more than its exports is said to have an unfavorable balance of trade, or to be running a trade deficit.
Etymology
Origin of balance of trade
First recorded in 1660–70
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In addition to paying tuition, they pay American businesses for food, shelter, transportation, and entertainment while they are here, supporting 400,000 American jobs and creating a double “win” for the balance of trade.
From Slate • Apr. 24, 2025
India has already slashed tariffs on some US goods, with further cuts expected as the balance of trade is still stacked heavily in favour of Delhi, which enjoys a $45bn trade surplus.
From BBC • Apr. 21, 2025
From January to May, the positive balance of trade soared by 39.1% compared to the same period last year, reaching $35.3 billion.
From Reuters • Jun. 1, 2023
Growing economic relationships also led to conflict when the British tried to end China’s positive balance of trade by importing opium into China from their territories in India.
From Textbooks • Dec. 14, 2022
It is the founding concept of modern social science: David Hume’s theory of the balance of trade and Adam Smith’s conception of the market depend on the concept of a feedback mechanism.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.