trade
( trades plural & 3rd person present) ( trading present participle) ( traded past tense & past participle )
1 n-uncount Trade is the activity of buying, selling, or exchanging goods or services between people, firms, or countries.
usu with supp
The ministry had direct control over every aspect of foreign trade., ...negotiations on a new international trade agreement..., Texas has a long history of trade with Mexico.
2 verb When people, firms, or countries trade, they buy, sell, or exchange goods or services between themselves.
They may refuse to trade, even when offered attractive prices... V
They had years of experience of trading with the West... V with n
He has been trading in antique furniture for 25 years. V in n
♦
trading n-uncount usu with supp
Trading on the stock exchange may be suspended...
3 n-count A trade is a particular area of business or industry.
usu supp N
They've completely ruined the tourist trade for the next few years., ...the arms trade.
4 n-count Someone's trade is the kind of work that they do, especially when they have been trained to do it over a period of time.
oft poss N, also by N
He learnt his trade as a diver in the North Sea..., Allyn was a jeweller by trade...
5 v-recip If someone trades one thing for another or if two people trade things, they agree to exchange one thing for the other thing.
(mainly AM)
They traded land for goods and money... V n for n (non-recip)
Kids used to trade baseball cards... pl-n V n
They suspected that Neville had traded secret information with Mr Foster. V n with n
Trade is also a noun., n-count
I am willing to make a trade with you...
in BRIT, use exchange
6 v-recip If you trade places with someone or if the two of you trade places, you move into the other person's position or situation, and they move into yours.
(mainly AM)
(=exchange)
Mike asked George to trade places with him so he could ride with Tod... V n with n
The receiver and the quarterback are going to trade positions. pl-n V n
7 verb In professional sports, for example football or baseball, if a player is traded from one team to another, they leave one team and begin playing for another.
(AM)
He was traded from the Giants to the Yankees... be V-ed
The A's have not won a game since they traded him. V n
in BRIT, use transfer
8 v-recip If two people or groups trade something such as blows, insults, or jokes, they hit each other, insult each other, or tell each other jokes. (mainly AM)
(=exchange) Children would settle disputes by trading punches or insults in the schoolyard... pl-n V n They traded artillery fire with government forces inside the city. V n with n trade down phrasal verb If someone trades down, they sell something such as their car or house and buy a less expensive one. They are selling their five-bedroom house and trading down to a two-bedroom cottage. V P to n trade in phrasal verb If you trade in an old car or appliance, you give it to the person you are buying a new one from so that you pay less. He had a Rolls-Royce, and he traded it in for two matching silver Range Rovers... V n P Richard refused to trade in his old Canon cameras. V P n (not pron) →
trade-in trade off phrasal verb If you trade off one thing against another, you exchange all or part of one thing for another, as part of a negotiation or compromise. They cynically tried to trade off a reduction in the slaughter of dolphins against a resumption of commercial whaling... V P n against n There is a possibility of being able to trade off information for a reduced sentence. V P n for n →
trade-off trade up phrasal verb If someone trades up, they sell something such as their car or their house and buy a more expensive one. Mini-car owners are trading up to `real' cars... V P to n Homeowners will feel more comfortable and they may feel ready to trade up. V P
balance of trade ( balances of trade plural ) A country's balance of trade is the difference in value, over a period of time, between the goods it imports and the goods it exports. (BUSINESS) n-count usu sing
The deficit in Britain's balance of trade in March rose to more than 2100 million pounds.
fair trade
Fair trade is the practice of buying goods directly from producers in developing countries at a fair price. n-uncount oft N n
...fair trade coffee.
rag trade
The rag trade is the business and industry of making and selling clothes, especially women's clothes. n-sing the N
The rag trade is extremely competitive, and one needs plenty of contacts in order to survive.
slave trade
The slave trade is the buying and selling of slaves, especially Black Africans, from the 16th to the 19th centuries. n-sing the N
...profits from the slave trade.
stock-in-trade , stock in trade
If you say that something is someone's stock-in-trade, you mean that it is a usual part of their behaviour or work. n-sing with poss
(=staple)
Patriotism is every politician's stock-in-trade...
trade association ( trade associations plural ) A trade association is a body representing organizations within the same trade. It aims to protect their collective interests, especially in negotiations with governments and trade unions. n-count
...one of the two main trade associations for antiques dealers.
Trade Descriptions Act , Trades Descriptions Act
In Britain, theTrade Descriptions Act or theTrades Descriptions Act is a law designed to prevent companies from presenting their goods or services in a dishonest or misleading way. n-sing the N
Last year it was convicted and fined under the Trades Descriptions Act for placing For Sale boards on empty homes in the area.
trade fair ( trade fairs plural ) A trade fair is an exhibition where manufacturers show their products to other people in industry and try to get business. n-count
trade gap ( trade gaps plural ) If a country imports goods worth more than the value of the goods that it exports, this is referred to as a trade gap. (BUSINESS) n-count usu sing
trade-in ( trade-ins plural ) A trade-in is an arrangement in which someone buys something such as a new car or washing machine at a reduced price by giving their old one, as well as money, in payment. n-count oft N n
...the trade-in value of the car.
trade name ( trade names plural ) A trade name is the name which manufacturers give to a product or to a range of products. n-count
(=brand name)
It's marketed under the trade name `Tattle'.
trade-off ( trade-offs plural ) , tradeoff A trade-off is a situation where you make a compromise between two things, or where you exchange all or part of one thing for another. (JOURNALISM) n-count
...the trade-off between inflation and unemployment.
trade route ( trade routes plural ) A trade route is a route, often covering long distances, that is used by traders. n-count
trade secret ( trade secrets plural )
1 n-count A trade secret is information that is known, used, and kept secret by a particular firm, for example about a method of production or a chemical process.
The nature of the polymer is currently a trade secret.
2 n-count A trade secret is a piece of knowledge that you have, especially about how to do something, that you are not willing to tell other people.
I'd rather not talk about it too much because I don't like giving trade secrets away.
trade surplus ( trade surpluses plural ) If a country has a trade surplus, it exports more than it imports. (BUSINESS) n-count
The country's trade surplus widened to 16.5 billion dollars.
trade union ( trade unions plural ) , trades union A trade union is an organization that has been formed by workers in order to represent their rights and interests to their employers, for example in order to improve working conditions or wages.
(mainly BRIT) n-count oft N n
in AM, usually use labor union
trade unionism
Trade unionism is the system, practices, and beliefs of trade unions. n-uncount
trade unionist ( trade unionists plural ) , trades unionist A trade unionist is an active member of a trade union.
(BRIT) n-count
World Trade Organization
TheWorld Trade Organization is an international organization that encourages and regulates trade between its member states. The abbreviation WTO is also used. n-proper