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Glite Dictionary
trade-in

trade-in

5 3.2
An item you give to lower the price of something new like a car or phone
  • noun
  • /ˈtreɪdˌɪn/
  • US
translation icon : intercambio
  • A number of online sites provide estimates for both trade-ins and private sales.
  • trade-in allowance
  • trade-in value
  • trade-in price

Examples

  • When buying a new car, my brother included his old vehicle as a trade-in to reduce the overall cost.

  • When buying a car, is it better to have a trade-in or a down payment?

    Blog text (15)

  • I picked one up from my local GameStop after making some trade-ins.

    Blog text (13)

  • How should I deal with financing, trade-in, and other extras?

    Blog text (17)

  • Here are the trade-in prices at Amazon and eBay Instant Sale today.

    Blog text (10)

  • I'd gladly upgrade if you had a trade-in deal.

    Blog text (33)

  • When comparing a trade-in to a private sale, then it boils down to how much the convenience factor is worth.

    Blog text (15)

  • The dealership offered him a fair trade-in value for his used bike when he purchased a new one.

  • To get the best deal, consider the trade-in value of your old appliance before upgrading to a newer model.

Surface Forms

trade-in singular
trade-ins plural

Morphology

trade-in = trade + in (transparent) = trade + in

The noun is built directly from the phrasal verb 'trade in' and refers to something that is traded in as part payment.

Etymology

Trade-in comes from the familiar parts trade and in: trade means 'to exchange' and in shows giving something 'as part of a payment'. So a trade-in is an item you hand over to lower the price of a new purchase.