Trade | Mean of trade in English Dictionary

/ˈtreɪd/

• Noun
• the activity or process of buying, selling, or exchanging goods or services
1. foreign/international trade
2. the trade between the two countries
3. The tariff is a barrier to trade. = The tariff is a trade barrier.
4. trade agreements
5. a trade route [=a route used for transporting goods]
• the amount of things or services that are bought and sold
1. Trade accounts for half of our gross national product.
2. The store does a brisk/lucrative trade in T-shirts. [=the store sells a lot of T-shirts]
• the act of exchanging one thing for another
1. My cupcake for your brownie is a fair/good trade. [=swap]

• the act of giving one of your players to another team and getting one of their players in return
1. The Tigers made a few good trades this season and picked up some promising players.
• a job
• a job that requires special training and skills and that is done by using your hands
1. Are you interested in learning a new trade? [=learning the skills that are needed to perform a different job]
2. She entered the trade [=she began working in her profession] just after graduating from high school.
3. I am a carpenter/electrician/beautician by trade. [=I work as a carpenter/electrician/beautician]
• a certain kind of business or industry
1. the drug trade
2. The tourist trade is our main source of state revenue.
3. a trade group/association
4. trade publications
• a set of tools or skills that are necessary for a particular kind of job or work
1. She showed me her paints, brushes, and the other tools of her trade.
2. When you work with young children, patience and consistency are tools of the trade.
• a quick or clever way of doing something that you have learned usually as part of your job
1. Let me show you a little trick of the trade.
2. a mystery writer who knows all the tricks of his trade
• Verb
• to give something to someone and receive something in return
1. Do you want to trade? [=swap]
2. If you don't like your seat, I'll trade with you.
3. We traded [=switched] seats halfway through the show.
4. I'll trade my chips for your popcorn. = I'll trade you my chips for your popcorn.
5. I traded seats with her halfway through the show.
6. The boys are on the phone trading jokes/secrets. [=telling each other jokes/secrets]
7. I got tired of listening to them trade insults. [=insult each other]
8. I would love to trade places with him. [=I would love to be in his situation]
• to give (one of your players) to another team in exchange for one of their players
1. He was traded to the Yankees.
2. They traded him to the Broncos.
• to stop using (one thing) and start using another
1. I traded my pen for a pencil and kept writing.
• to buy, sell, or exchange goods or services
1. The two countries continue to trade with each other.
2. They are suspected of trading in illegal weapons.
3. China is one of our biggest trading partners.
• to buy and sell stocks, bonds, etc.
1. Their firm specializes in trading bonds.
2. She mostly trades in stocks.
3. The stock is trading at [=is being sold for] $71 a share.
• to exist as a company or business
1. Our company trades [=does business] under the name Smith & Sons.
• to sell something you own and buy a similar thing that costs less money
1. They traded down to a smaller house after their children had grown up and moved away.
• to sell (something) back to a business as part of your payment for something else
1. We traded our car in for a newer model.
2. Trade in your car and get $3,000 towards a new car!
• to give up (something that you want) in order to have something else
1. The car's designers traded off some power for greater fuel efficiency.
• to use (something) in a way that helps you
1. He wants to succeed by working hard instead of just trading on his good looks.
• to sell something you own and buy a similar thing that is more expensive
1. They keep trading up, buying larger and larger houses.