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
Synonyms
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
Everything done in the field is a trade-off among these three factors.
—Michael Justin Allen Sexton, PCMAG, 15 Jan. 2025
Different people have different weights or valuations of trade-offs.
—Kelly Livingston, ABC News, 15 Jan. 2025
This often requires making social, political and even moral trade-offs.
—Jay Feinman, The Conversation, 15 Jan. 2025
The team next intends to widen their analysis to include all tooth types, with the goal of better understanding biomechanical trade-offs between different shapes and sizes.
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 10 Jan. 2025
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Michael Justin Allen Sexton, PCMAG, 15 Jan. 2025
Different people have different weights or valuations of trade-offs.
—Kelly Livingston, ABC News, 15 Jan. 2025
This often requires making social, political and even moral trade-offs.
—Jay Feinman, The Conversation, 15 Jan. 2025
The team next intends to widen their analysis to include all tooth types, with the goal of better understanding biomechanical trade-offs between different shapes and sizes.
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 10 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for trade-off
Dictionary Entries Near trade-off
Cite this Entry
“Trade-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trade-off. Accessed 19 Jan. 2025.
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