trade on

British

verb

(intr, preposition) to exploit or take advantage of

he traded on her endless patience

"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

trade on Idioms

Profit by, exploit, as in The children of celebrities often trade on their family names. [Late 1800s]

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 war trade clouded out the Warsh trade on Tuesday.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026

Separately, Tesla stock edged a fraction lower in after-hours trade on Monday.

From Barron's • Apr. 20, 2026

The stocks of several companies developing psychedelic treatments for mental illnesses soared in premarket trade on Monday morning after President Donald Trump put his support behind them.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 20, 2026

JGBs slid in price terms in early Tokyo trade on renewed worries over inflation in Japan.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

They are so big and strong that the dogs fear them, and the bears trade on this fear to get their food.

From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen

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