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to trade

to trade

588 1.0
To give something and get something else in return
  • verb
  • /treɪd/
translation icon : cambiar (por)
  • Sure, I'll trade you my pants for your skirt.
  • willing to trade
  • sell or trade
  • trade with others

What we've done there is we've traded time for space.

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Examples

  • We still meet occasionally to trade experiences with new tools or to brainstorm for future collaborations.

    Academic text (2011)
  • She decided to trade her old phone for a new one.

  • At this point you can trade your case or you can open it.

  • "If I had a watch like that, I would trade it."

  • If necessary, I might be able to use these to trade for anything else I need.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • I would much rather trade my fame for impact.

  • "I'll trade you 25 chickens for a goat."

  • All civilized peoples, therefore, are in a position to trade with them to their advantage.

    Academic text (1992)
  • "Do you have any horses to trade?" He tilted his head at an angle.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • What we've done there is we've traded time for space.

Synonyms

to exchange
vsto trade
274 1.8

To give something and get something in return

is done to obtain something new, sometimes as payment
to swap
vsto trade
119 2.1

To give something and get something else in return

is often used to get a replacement or to pay for something new
to trade in
vsto trade
32 3.9

To give something you own to a seller as part payment for a new one

is the general act of giving something to obtain something else
to barter
vsto trade
26 3.1

To trade goods or services directly for other goods without using money

is broader and can include money or formal payment methods
to barter away
vsto trade
1 5.8

To give up something valuable in exchange for something else, often as a loss

is a neutral giving and receiving without suggesting sacrifice

Antonyms

1.0

To continue doing something or stay in the same state

72 1.6

To keep something instead of selling or giving it away

Idioms

16 3.9

A job someone does or did, especially if it is not clear from what they do now

Phrasal Verbs

32 3.9

To give something you own to a seller as part payment for a new one

To move from one owner to another when people buy or sell it

Compounds

A pair of tall towers in New York that were destroyed in the September 11, 2001 attacks

57 3.5

Buying and selling between countries without government taxes or limits

44 3.7

Giving up one thing to get something else when you must choose

trade deficit
  • Specialized
38 4.7

A country buys more from other countries than it sells to them

28 3.2

Government rules about buying and selling goods and services with other countries

An organization in Geneva that sets and enforces rules for trade between countries

17 3.6

Buying, selling, and moving people to force them to work, often from Africa to the Americas

trade secret
  • Specialized
15 3.9

Secret method or recipe a business keeps to stay ahead of other companies

An agreement from 1994 that made trade easier between the United States, Canada, and Mexico

A US agency that keeps business competition fair and protects consumers

12 2.8

A group of workers who protect rights and talk with employers about pay and work conditions

11 3.2

A way of buying and selling that gives better pay and rights to farmers and workers

11 3.0

A regular route used to carry goods between regions or countries

trade surplus
  • Specialized
11 3.5

A country sells more goods to other countries than it buys from them

trade barrier
  • Specialized
9 5.0

A government rule that limits goods from other countries, for example by charging extra tax or setting limits

8 3.0

A school where people learn practical skills like carpentry or plumbing

trade embargo
  • Formal
7 5.9

An official government order stopping trade with a country or some goods

5 3.2

An item you give to lower the price of something new like a car or phone

trade wind
  • Specialized
5 3.2

A steady wind that blows east to west near the equator in tropical regions

5 5.3

A proposed law to control trade between countries

An area in Lower Manhattan where the World Trade Center stood before 2001, now a rebuilt complex with memorials

trade balance
  • Specialized
4 3.9

The difference in value between a country's exports and imports of goods

A magazine for people who work in a certain industry that gives news and advice

2 2.9

A name a company gives to a product or service to sell it

2 3.0

A product or raw material sold in large amounts to other businesses

balance of trade
  • Specialized
2 4.4

The difference in value of goods a country sells and buys from other countries over time

An international agreement from 1947 to reduce taxes on imports and other trade barriers

1 3.8

The difference between the value of a country's imports and exports over a time period

A person who helps workers get better pay and safer jobs

A path from long ago for carrying goods between places

restraint of trade
  • Specialized
1 7.0

A rule or action that stops free competition between businesses

1 3.6

The idea and practice of workers forming groups to protect rights at work

The skills and tools someone needs for their job

carriage trade
  • Archaic
1 9.1

Rich customers who buy expensive goods, or the business that sells to them

1 4.9

A business that makes and sells fashionable clothes

trade book
  • Jargon
1 3.8

A book written and sold for the general public to read

Laws that put taxes or limits on imports to help local businesses against foreign competition

An organized effort by workers to improve pay and working conditions

A government official and office that makes and negotiates trade rules for the United States with other countries

7.1

The energy used by a 1,000-watt machine running for one hour

A person who cooks food for a living, usually in a restaurant

An agreement between companies that limits competition, often by fixing prices, and is illegal under US law

7.8

Former US law that let manufacturers require shops to sell goods at a minimum price

fair-trade agreement
  • Specialized
5.7

A deal where a maker tells stores not to sell a branded product below a fixed price

A swap of horses between people who bargain for the best deal

Equipment or skills needed to do a person's job

5.4

A pattern of rises and falls in the economy, like growth and recession

trade discount
  • Specialized
3.1

A reduction in the price shown given to a shop for buying large amounts of goods

trade edition
  • Jargon
4.0

A book sold to the public in regular bookstores

trade acceptance
  • Specialized
8.0

A written promise by a buyer to pay the seller on a set date

trade expense
  • Specialized
3.4

A cost a business has when running its normal work, like travel to meet clients

9.1

A small animal with a bushy tail that collects and hides small things

trade-last
  • Informal
9.9

A compliment you give in return for a compliment you received

7.0

An official government order that stops or limits trade between countries

A United States government office that makes and carries out the President's trade policy with other countries

Surface Forms

trade infinitive
traded past
traded past participle
trading present participle
trades third person singular

Etymology

Trade comes from the same root meaning 'path' or 'course', like tread 'to step'. Trading is like moving things along that route between people, so it means to exchange something for something else.