trade

[treyd] /treɪd/
noun
1.
the act or process of buying, selling, or exchanging commodities, at either wholesale or retail, within a country or between countries:
domestic trade; foreign trade.
2.
a purchase or sale; business deal or transaction.
3.
an exchange of items, usually without payment of money.
4.
any occupation pursued as a business or livelihood.
5.
some line of skilled manual or mechanical work; craft:
the trade of a carpenter; printer's trade.
6.
people engaged in a particular line of business:
a lecture of interest only to the trade.
7.
market:
an increase in the tourist trade.
8.
a field of business activity:
a magazine for the furniture trade.
9.
the customers of a business establishment.
10.
Informal. trade paper.
11.
trades, trade wind (def 1).
verb (used with object), traded, trading.
12.
to buy and sell; barter; traffic in.
13.
to exchange:
to trade seats.
verb (used without object), traded, trading.
14.
to carry on trade.
15.
to traffic (usually followed by in):
a tyrant who trades in human lives.
16.
to make an exchange.
17.
to make one's purchases; shop; buy.
adjective
18.
of or pertaining to trade or commerce.
19.
used by, serving, or intended for a particular trade:
trade journal.
20.
Also, trades. of, composed of, or serving the members of a trade:
a trade club.
Verb phrases
21.
trade down, to exchange a more valuable or desirable item for a less valuable or desirable one.
22.
trade in, to give (a used article) as payment to be credited toward a purchase:
We trade in our car every three years.
23.
trade off, to exchange something for or with another.
24.
trade on/upon, to turn to one's advantage, especially selfishly or unfairly; exploit:
to trade on the weaknesses of others.
25.
trade up, to exchange a less valuable or desirable item for a more valuable or desirable one.
Origin
1300-50; 1540-50 for def 4; Middle English: course, path, track < Middle Low German, Middle Dutch (Old Saxon trada), cognate with Old High German trata; akin to tread
Related forms
tradable, tradeable, adjective
tradeless, adjective
intertrade, noun, verb, intertraded, intertrading.
nontrade, noun
nontrading, adjective
protrade, adjective
retrade, verb, retraded, retrading, noun
undertrade, verb, undertraded, undertrading.
untradable, adjective
untradeable, adjective
untraded, adjective
untrading, adjective
Synonyms
1. business, barter, dealing. T rade , commerce , traffic refer to the exchanging of commodities for other commodities or money. T rade is the general word: a brisk trade between the nations. C ommerce applies to trade on a large scale and over an extensive area: international commerce. T raffic may refer to a particular kind of trade; but it usually suggests the travel, transportation, and activity associated with or incident to trade: the opium traffic; heavy traffic on the railroads. 3. swap. 4. vocation, métier, employment, living, craft. See occupation. 12. T rade , bargain , barter , sell refer to exchange or transfer of ownership for some kind of material consideration. T rade conveys the general idea, but often means to exchange articles of more or less even value: to trade with Argentina. B argain suggests a somewhat extended period of coming to terms: to bargain about the price of a horse. B arter applies especially to exchanging goods, wares, labor, etc., with no transfer of money for the transaction: to barter wheat for machinery. S ell implies transferring ownership, usually for a sum of money: to sell a car.
British Dictionary definitions for trade down

trade down

verb
1.
(intransitive, adverb) to sell a large or relatively expensive house, car, etc, and replace it with a smaller or less expensive one

trade

/treɪd/
noun
1.
the act or an instance of buying and selling goods and services either on the domestic (wholesale and retail) markets or on the international (import, export, and entrepôt) markets related adjective mercantile
2.
a personal occupation, esp a craft requiring skill
3.
the people and practices of an industry, craft, or business
4.
exchange of one thing for something else
5.
the regular clientele of a firm or industry
6.
amount of custom or commercial dealings; business
7.
a specified market or business: the tailoring trade
8.
an occupation in commerce, as opposed to a profession
9.
commercial customers, as opposed to the general public: trade only, trade advertising
10.
(homosexual slang) a sexual partner or sexual partners collectively
11.
(archaic) a custom or habit
verb
12.
(transitive) to buy and sell (commercial merchandise)
13.
to exchange (one thing) for another
14.
(intransitive) to engage in trade
15.
(intransitive) to deal or do business (with): we trade with them regularly
adjective
16.
intended for or available only to people in industry or business: trade prices
See also trade down, trade-in, trade on, trade up
Derived Forms
tradable, tradeable, adjective
tradeless, adjective
Word Origin
C14 (in the sense: track, hence, a regular business): related to Old Saxon trada, Old High German trata track; see tread
Word Origin and History for trade down

trade

n.

late 14c., "path, track, course of action," introduced by the Hanse merchants, from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German trade "track, course" (probably originally of a trading ship), cognate with Old English tredan (see tread). Sense of "one's habitual business" (1540s) developed from the notion of "way, course, manner of life" (mid-15c.); sense of "buying and selling" is first recorded 1550s. Trade wind (1640s) has nothing to do with commerce, but preserves the obsolete sense of "in a habitual or regular course." Trade union is attested from 1831.

v.

1540s, "to tread a path," from trade (n.). Meaning "to occupy oneself (in something)" is recorded from c.1600. The U.S. sports team sense of "to exchange one player for another" is attested from 1899. Related: Traded; trading. To trade down is attested from 1942. Trade-in in reference to used cars is recorded from 1917. Trading post is recorded from 1796.

trade down in Culture

trade definition


Business or commerce; economic activity.

Slang definitions & phrases for trade down

trade

noun

: Most White gay men use it to mean a heterosexual male who has sex with men for money or other consideration (''He can be done for trade''; ''Watch out for him; he's rough trade'')/ flashy, precise, and humpy as decidedly sexy trade in a Czardas with six girls (1935+ Homosexuals)

Related Terms

the rag trade, rough trade


Idioms and Phrases with trade down

trade down

Exchange for something of lower value or price, as in They bought a smaller boat, trading down for the sake of economy. Similarly, trade up means “make an exchange for something of higher value or price,” as in They traded up to a larger house. [ First half of 1900s ]

trade

also see:
tricks of the trade