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
Recent Examples on the Web
The idea — pushed by some real estate agents — was supposed to be a trade-off.
—Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2024
Those tactics, however, tend to increase media attention, so some activists consider the trade-off to be worth it.
—Tim Craig, Washington Post, 16 Apr. 2024
So Harry and his team are exploring the trade-offs and developing a lot of new cells that are much cheaper and lighter: Cells made with thin films of perovskites or semiconductors like gallium arsenide, cells that use quantum dots, or use waveguides or other optics to concentrate the light.
—IEEE Spectrum, 11 Apr. 2024
For insurers, the tool came with trade-offs: lower payments but potentially more patient complaints.
—Chris Hamby, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2024
Long hours in exchange for a handsome salary is a common trade-off made by those in banking.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune Europe, 6 Apr. 2024
The main trade-off was discomfort during bouts of high-intensity exercise.
Moderate- Or High-Intensity Exercise?
With varying guidelines around heart rate zones and conflicting evidence on the potential benefits of training in each zone, exercisers may be left wondering what to do.
—Jason Sawyer, Discover Magazine, 5 Apr. 2024
That trade-off, in addition to Nvidia’s efforts to glue its chips together with high-speed links, suggests that upgrades to other key components for AI supercomputers, like that proposed by Lightmatter, could become more important.
—Will Knight, WIRED, 4 Apr. 2024
However, there are some trade-offs to consider: Higher upfront cost: Laser printers tend to be more expensive than inkjet printers initially.
—Nilay Patel, The Verge, 2 Apr. 2024
Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2024
Those tactics, however, tend to increase media attention, so some activists consider the trade-off to be worth it.
—Tim Craig, Washington Post, 16 Apr. 2024
So Harry and his team are exploring the trade-offs and developing a lot of new cells that are much cheaper and lighter: Cells made with thin films of perovskites or semiconductors like gallium arsenide, cells that use quantum dots, or use waveguides or other optics to concentrate the light.
—IEEE Spectrum, 11 Apr. 2024
For insurers, the tool came with trade-offs: lower payments but potentially more patient complaints.
—Chris Hamby, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2024
Long hours in exchange for a handsome salary is a common trade-off made by those in banking.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune Europe, 6 Apr. 2024
The main trade-off was discomfort during bouts of high-intensity exercise.
Moderate- Or High-Intensity Exercise?
With varying guidelines around heart rate zones and conflicting evidence on the potential benefits of training in each zone, exercisers may be left wondering what to do.
—Jason Sawyer, Discover Magazine, 5 Apr. 2024
That trade-off, in addition to Nvidia’s efforts to glue its chips together with high-speed links, suggests that upgrades to other key components for AI supercomputers, like that proposed by Lightmatter, could become more important.
—Will Knight, WIRED, 4 Apr. 2024
However, there are some trade-offs to consider: Higher upfront cost: Laser printers tend to be more expensive than inkjet printers initially.
—Nilay Patel, The Verge, 2 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'trade-off.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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 27 Apr. 2024.
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