terms of trade

British

plural noun

economics the ratio of export prices to import prices. It measures a nation's trading position, which improves when export prices rise faster or fall slower than import prices

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

“The rise in oil price will likely deteriorate the terms of trade for many of the Asian economies,” Lui says.

From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026

Despite its impact on corporate profits, Yamaji said the yen’s sharp depreciation in recent years has deteriorated terms of trade for Japan as it needs to import food and energy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 4, 2025

"This is very positive in terms of trade, education, culture, tourism, all of those other links that that are really important," he added.

From BBC • Aug. 17, 2024

Nigeria harbors Africa’s largest crypto economy in terms of trade volume with many citizens using crypto to hedge their finances against surging inflation and the declining local currency.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 4, 2024

The profit to England from Irish peonage cannot be assessed in terms of trade, or finance, or taxation.

From The Crime Against Europe A Possible Outcome of the War of 1914 by Casement, Roger

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023