trade-in

1 of 2

noun

: an item of merchandise (such as an automobile or refrigerator) taken as payment or part payment for a purchase

trade in

2 of 2

verb

traded in; trading in; trades in

transitive verb

1
: to turn in as payment or part payment for a purchase or bill
trade the old car in on a new one
2

Examples of trade-in in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
In a new report, the car-shopping website found that 1 out of 5 new-vehicle sales that involved a trade-in were upside-down in the fourth quarter of 2023, compared with 17.7 percent in the last quarter for 2022 and 14.9 percent in the same period for 2021. Michelle Singletary, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024 While trade-in have only been possible through stores, Carhartt will begin accepting mail-in products. Sharon Edelson, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 Since October, the company has sent out high-value vouchers to YouTube Premium subscribers to use when buying the Pixel 8, upped its trade-in prices and given $100 store credit coupons to random Google Photos users. Janhoi McGregor, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2024 Dealers bought most of the remainder from trade-ins. Kristin Broughton, WSJ, 24 Nov. 2023 Being prepared with your trade-in at a dealership can make a difference of thousands of dollars in the bottom line. Josh Jacquot, Quartz, 7 Feb. 2024 The shift up the smartphone price chain has been driven in part by attractive trade-in offers and interest-free financing, IDC said. Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 17 Jan. 2024 Colors: 6 | Material: 100% Nylon (41% Recycled) shell, 100% nylon lining | Fill Power: 800-fill power down Patagonia has a hassle-free returns and trade-in program. Michelle Rostamian, Peoplemag, 12 Jan. 2024 Even with a trade-in payment implemented by the London mayor’s office, the maximum subsidy was only £2,000 for cars and motorcycles, and there were all kinds of exceptions that vehicle owners found confusing and exclusionary. Lenora Chu, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Dec. 2023
Verb
The global harvest and trade in frog legs is poorly tracked and could be leading to species decline in countries such as Indonesia and Turkey, signatories said in an open letter to French President Emmanuel Macron. Frances Vinall, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2024 The signatories called on France to develop proposals to protect declining frog species, and to ensure that the monitoring, regulation and sustainability of the trade in frogs’ legs is governed by international trade rules. Catherine Nicholls, CNN, 11 Mar. 2024 The new one provides a sleek and more modern look, trading in many of the drop down menus for longer pages with more scrolling and information provided farther down page. Noah Alcala Bach, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Mar. 2024 Further, the Rockets are projected to receive the 8th pick in the draft from Brooklyn, as a result of the James Harden trade in 2021. Rahat Huq, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Private trades in late 2023 valued the company much lower, at about $50 billion. Pei Li, Fortune, 27 Feb. 2024 Pressure to limit the trade in donkey skins is mounting elsewhere. Siyi Zhao, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2024 The fact that the markets trade in play money doesn’t seem to matter—users are sufficiently motivated by the prestige of accruing Mana. Will Henshall, TIME, 14 Feb. 2024 The actor and mom, who welcomed her second child in January—a baby girl with boyfriend Oli Green—briefly traded in her motherhood duties to see Kamali’s new fashions in the front row. Christian Allaire, Vogue, 29 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'trade-in.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1915, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1891, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of trade-in was in 1891

Dictionary Entries Near trade-in

Cite this Entry

“Trade-in.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trade-in. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

trade-in

1 of 2 noun
ˈtrād-ˌin
: something given in trade usually as part payment for a purchase

trade in

2 of 2 verb
(ˈ)trād-ˈin
: to turn in as a payment or part payment for a purchase

More from Merriam-Webster on trade-in

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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