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!
First recorded in 1960–65; noun use of verb phrase trade off
How does trade-off compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"I think what's sad and tragic is over time, the trade-off of revenue and user experience became a more core part of the conversation."
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
The U.S. diplomats offered a trade-off to Iran, the people said: Relinquish its claim to control the strait and renounce toll payments in exchange for billions of dollars of unfrozen funds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
It’s a trade-off: Keep working to earn extra money and continue paying into the Social Security system, or stop working and survive on just your Social Security benefits and any other income.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026
But the risk of getting trapped isn’t the only trade-off with semiliquid funds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 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
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
That is a trade off the company is willing to make as it expects its bet on safety to pay off in the long run as users start having better interactions on their apps.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2025
“You guard, I’ll unwind. We can trade off later.”
From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins
Your daughter is old enough to learn about trade-offs.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
While many viewers balk at the cost and complexity of the current offerings, some say the trade-offs have been worth it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
There are a few options but they come with trade-offs, as do all tactical approaches.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
Reforming the historic structure of multimember agencies will entail trade-offs but is worth considering as this new landscape takes shape.
From Slate ● Jul. 6, 2026
The Strategic Defense Initiative brings thoughts of destruction and salvation, and even here the notion of trade-offs can play a useful role.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
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.
