trade
/tɹeɪd/ noun, verb, adjective
Forms trades trading traded
- noun (uncountable) The buying and selling of goods and services on a market.
- noun (countable) 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.”
- noun (countable) An idea or strategy for an investment on a market. “"Sell America" is the latest trade on Wall Street.”
- noun (countable) An instance of bartering items in exchange for one another.
- noun (countable) Those who perform a particular kind of skilled work. “The skilled trades were the first to organize modern labor unions.”
- noun (countable) Those engaged in an industry or group of related industries. “It is not a retail showroom. It is only for the trade.”
- noun (countable) The skilled practice of a practical occupation. “He learned his trade as an apprentice.”
- noun (countable or uncountable) 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.”
- verb (ambitransitive) To engage in trade. [transitive or with in ‘something’, along with with ‘somebody’] “This company trades (in) precious metal.”
- verb (finance, intransitive, copulative) To be traded at a certain price or under certain conditions. “Apple is trading at $200.”
- verb (transitive, with for) To give (something) in exchange (for). “Will you trade your precious watch for my earring?”
- verb (transitive) To mutually exchange (something) (with). “The rival schoolboys traded insults and punches.”
- verb (transitive, with on) 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.”
- verb (horticulture, transitive or intransitive) To give someone a plant and receive a different one in return.
- verb (ambitransitive) To do business; offer for sale as for one's livelihood.
- verb (intransitive) To have dealings; to be concerned or associated (with).
- adjective Of a product, produced for sale in the ordinary bulk retail trade and hence of only the most basic quality.
Synonyms
commerce deal barter business craft takings custom footfall patronage exchange swap switch truck exploit capitalize on take advantage of use leverage benefit from make use of business deal trade wind swop merchandise trade in sell
Etymology
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”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun A track; a trail; a way; a path; also, passage; travel; resort.
- noun Course; custom; practice; occupation; employment. [Obs.] "The right trade of religion." Udall.
- verb To barter, or to buy and sell; to be engaged in the exchange, purchase, or sale of goods, wares, merchandise, or anything else; to traffic; to bargain; to carry on commerce as a business.
- verb To buy and sell or exchange property in a single instance.
Etymology [Formerly, a path, OE. tred a footmark. See Tread, n. & v.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “trade”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details