1
: a balancing of factors all of which are not attainable at the same time
the education versus experience trade-off which governs personnel practices—
H. S. White
H. S. White2
: a giving up of one thing in return for another : exchange
trade off
transitive verb
Examples of trade-off in a Sentence
a trade-off in which a company got a celebrity spokesperson and a fading star got some much-needed cash
Recent Examples on the Web
In a letter shared with The Star on April 3, Independence City Council At-Large Member Bridget McCandless urged residents to approve all three bonds, referencing a trade-off between affordability in Independence and longstanding public maintenance delays.
—Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 9 Apr. 2025
Why Objective Functions Matter Industrial environments face complex trade-offs daily.
—Pieter Van Schalkwyk, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
The trade-off for this ease of use is that service can get weird at some point.
—Chris Cona, ArsTechnica, 9 Apr. 2025
With any luck, a little digestive distress will be just a small trade-off for getting past your illness and feeling like yourself again.
—Beth Krietsch, SELF, 7 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for trade-off
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Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 9 Apr. 2025
Why Objective Functions Matter Industrial environments face complex trade-offs daily.
—Pieter Van Schalkwyk, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
The trade-off for this ease of use is that service can get weird at some point.
—Chris Cona, ArsTechnica, 9 Apr. 2025
With any luck, a little digestive distress will be just a small trade-off for getting past your illness and feeling like yourself again.
—Beth Krietsch, SELF, 7 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for trade-off
Cite this Entry
“Trade-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trade-off. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.
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