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
But consolidation should be considered carefully, ideally with an advisor, because there may be trade-offs in protections or access.
—Larry Light, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
In high-stakes situations where there’s no clear playbook, leaders regularly face tough choices with steep trade-offs.
—Robert Glazer, Harvard Business Review, 19 Sep. 2025
How willing are people to make trade-offs for that issue, right?
—David Weigel, semafor.com, 19 Sep. 2025
The depth is the trade-off, so measure your counter carefully.
—Alex Harrington, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for trade-off
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Larry Light, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
In high-stakes situations where there’s no clear playbook, leaders regularly face tough choices with steep trade-offs.
—Robert Glazer, Harvard Business Review, 19 Sep. 2025
How willing are people to make trade-offs for that issue, right?
—David Weigel, semafor.com, 19 Sep. 2025
The depth is the trade-off, so measure your counter carefully.
—Alex Harrington, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 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 21 Sep. 2025.
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