: an item of merchandise (such as an automobile or refrigerator) taken as payment or part payment for a purchase
traded in; trading in; trades in
1
: to turn in as payment or part payment for a purchase or bill
trade the old car in on a new one
2
Examples of trade-in in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 27 Dec. 2025
This fall, the air board shuttered the entire program and shifted the remaining $18 million in e-bike funds to a car trade-in program.
—Hannah Ruhoff, Sacbee.com, 17 Dec. 2025
Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 3 Jan. 2026
Last winter, Jennifer Lawrence traded in her beloved pop of red styling hack for a cobalt blue sweater from The Row.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 2 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for trade-in
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Noun
This is the first time GameStop has hosted the event, which is aimed at promoting the company’s trade-in program.
—Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 27 Dec. 2025
This fall, the air board shuttered the entire program and shifted the remaining $18 million in e-bike funds to a car trade-in program.
—Hannah Ruhoff, Sacbee.com, 17 Dec. 2025
Verb
All these extraordinary finds opened up a unique vantage point into daily life on board a groundbreaking cargo ship that changed the face of trade in Northern Europe.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 3 Jan. 2026
Last winter, Jennifer Lawrence traded in her beloved pop of red styling hack for a cobalt blue sweater from The Row.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 2 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for trade-in
Cite this Entry
“Trade-in.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trade-in. Accessed 6 Jan. 2026.
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