trade.
The buying and selling of goods and services on a market.
Meaning & usage
The buying and selling of goods and services on a market.
A particular instance of buying or selling, or a series of related transactions executed as a single investment.
I did no trades with them once the rumors started.
An idea or strategy for an investment on a market.
"Sell America" is the latest trade on Wall Street.
An instance of bartering items in exchange for one another.
Those who perform a particular kind of skilled work.
The skilled trades were the first to organize modern labor unions.
Those engaged in an industry or group of related industries.
It is not a retail showroom. It is only for the trade.
The skilled practice of a practical occupation.
He learned his trade as an apprentice.
An occupation in the secondary sector, as opposed to an agricultural, professional or military one.
After failing his entrance exams, he decided to go into a trade.
Most veterans went into trade when the war ended.
The business given to a commercial establishment by its customers.
Even before noon there was considerable trade.
Trade has been down in this cold weather.
Steady winds blowing from east to west above and below the equator.
They rode the trades going west.
A publication intended for participants in an industry or related group of industries.
Rumors about layoffs are all over the trades.
A masculine man available for casual sex with men, often for pay. (Compare rough trade.)
Not you tryna impress plumber trade.
Josh picked up some trade last night.
Instruments of any occupation.
Short for trade paperback
Refuse or rubbish from a mine.
A track or trail; a way; a path; passage.
A course; a custom; a practice; an occupation.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dreh₂- Proto-Germanic *tradō Proto-West Germanic *trudo Old Saxon tradader. Middle Low German tradeder. Middle English trade English trade From Middle English trade (“path, course of conduct”), introduced into English by Hanseatic merchants, from Middle Low German trade (“track, course”), from Old Saxon trada (“spoor, track”), from Proto-West Germanic *tradu, from Proto-Germanic *tradō (“track, way”), and cognate with Old English tredan (“to tread”); ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dreh₂- (“to tread, walk, step, run”). Cognate with Dutch trade, tra (“path, trail, course, trade”), German Low German Traad (“track, wagon trail”), Luxembourgish Tratt (“step, pace”), Icelandic tröð (“a lane between fences, enclosure, pen”).
To engage in trade.
This company trades (in) precious metal.
He withdrew money to his bank account after several years of trading stocks on E-Trade.
To be traded at a certain price or under certain conditions.
Apple is trading at $200.
ExxonMobil trades on the NYSE.
To give (something) in exchange (for).
Will you trade your precious watch for my earring?
To mutually exchange (something) (with).
The rival schoolboys traded insults and punches.
To use or exploit a particular aspect, such as a name, reputation, or image, to gain advantage or benefit.
Some musicians try to trade on their past success by playing the same hits over and over again.
To give someone a plant and receive a different one in return.
To do business; offer for sale as for one's livelihood.
To have dealings; to be concerned or associated (with).
To recommend and get recommendations.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dreh₂- Proto-Germanic *tradō Proto-West Germanic *trudo Old Saxon tradader. Middle Low German tradeder. Middle English trade English trade From Middle English trade (“path, course of conduct”), introduced into English by Hanseatic merchants, from Middle Low German trade (“track, course”), from Old Saxon trada (“spoor, track”), from Proto-West Germanic *tradu, from Proto-Germanic *tradō (“track, way”), and cognate with Old English tredan (“to tread”); ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dreh₂- (“to tread, walk, step, run”). Cognate with Dutch trade, tra (“path, trail, course, trade”), German Low German Traad (“track, wagon trail”), Luxembourgish Tratt (“step, pace”), Icelandic tröð (“a lane between fences, enclosure, pen”).
Of a product, produced for sale in the ordinary bulk retail trade and hence of only the most basic quality.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dreh₂- Proto-Germanic *tradō Proto-West Germanic *trudo Old Saxon tradader. Middle Low German tradeder. Middle English trade English trade From Middle English trade (“path, course of conduct”), introduced into English by Hanseatic merchants, from Middle Low German trade (“track, course”), from Old Saxon trada (“spoor, track”), from Proto-West Germanic *tradu, from Proto-Germanic *tradō (“track, way”), and cognate with Old English tredan (“to tread”); ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dreh₂- (“to tread, walk, step, run”). Cognate with Dutch trade, tra (“path, trail, course, trade”), German Low German Traad (“track, wagon trail”), Luxembourgish Tratt (“step, pace”), Icelandic tröð (“a lane between fences, enclosure, pen”).
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.