trade
noun · verb · adjective
Simple meaning
The commercial exchange of goods and services.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
traydIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈtɹeɪd
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
The commercial exchange (buying and selling on domestic or international markets) of goods and services
“Venice was an important center of trade with the East.”
A particular instance of buying or selling
countable
An instance of bartering items in exchange for one another.
People who perform a particular kind of skilled work
An equal exchange
countable
Those engaged in an industry or group of related industries.
verb
Exchange or give (something) in exchange for
transitive
To mutually exchange (something) (with).
transitivewith on
To use or exploit a particular aspect, such as a name, reputation, or image, to gain advantage or benefit.
intransitive
To have dealings; to be concerned or associated (with).
transitive
To recommend and get recommendations.
adjective
Of a product, produced for sale in the ordinary bulk retail trade and hence of only the most basic quality.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The commercial exchange (buying and selling on domestic or international markets) of goods and services
Used this way, trade is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“Venice was an important center of trade with the East.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Usage note
It most often appears in the pattern “trade with …”, which is worth copying when you use it.
Natural pattern: trade with …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use trade
- “Venice was an important center of trade with the East.”noun
- “He learned his trade as an apprentice.”noun
- “The stock traded around $20 a share.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Similar Words, What’s the Difference?
Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
Buying or selling securities or commodities.
Someone who purchases and maintains an inventory of goods to be sold.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A compliment that I heard about you that I offer to trade for a compliment you have heard about me.
A magazine published for and read by members of a particular trade group.
A name given to a product or service.
An exchange that occurs as a compromise.
A government's policy controlling foreign trade.
The imposition of duties or quotas on imports in order to protect domestic industry against foreign competition.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.