trade

trade¹ W1S3 [treıd] n

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1¦(buying/selling)¦

2 the hotel/tourist etc trade

3¦(amount of business)¦

4¦(an exchange of things)¦

5 the trade

6¦(job/work)¦

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[Date: 1300-1400; : Middle Low German; Origin: 'course, way, track']

1.) ¦(BUYING/SELLING)¦[U]

the activity of buying, selling, or exchanging goods within a country or between countries

= ↑commerce trade between

▪ There has been a marked increase in trade between East and West.

▪ international trade agreements

▪ unfair trade practices

trade in

▪ Trade in ivory has been banned since 1990.

the arms/drug/slave etc trade

(=the buying and selling of weapons, drugs etc)

→↑balance of trade, ↑free trade

→trade war at ↑war

2.) the hotel/tourist etc trade

the business done by companies, hotels etc

→↑industry

▪ Working on Saturdays is usual in the retail trade.

3.) ¦(AMOUNT OF BUSINESS)¦[U]

BrE business activity, especially the amount of goods or products that are sold

= ↑business

▪ A lot of pubs nowadays do most of their trade at lunchtimes.

passing trade

(=customers who go into a shop when they are passing it, not regular customers)

▪ Souvenir shops rely mainly on passing trade.

→do a roaring trade at ↑roaring

4.) ¦(AN EXCHANGE OF THINGS)¦ [singular]

AmE

a) when you exchange something you have for something that someone else has

▪ Let's make a trade - my frisbee for your baseball.

b) when a player on a sports team is exchanged for a player from another team

▪ The Celtics star demanded a trade after talks with management broke down.

5.) the trade

a particular kind of business, and the people who are involved in it

▪ I could get Ron to look at your car for you; he works in the trade.

6.) ¦(JOB/WORK)¦ [U and C]

a particular job, especially one needing special skill with your hands

▪ Brian insisted that his sons learn a trade .

▪ My grandfather was a plumber by trade (=that was his job) .

tools of your trade

(=the things that you need to do your job)

→↑stock-in-trade, ↑jack-of-all-trades

→ply your trade at ↑ply¹ (1)

→tricks of the trade at ↑trick¹ (7)

trade ²

trade² W3S3 v

1.) [I and T]

to buy and sell goods, services etc as your job or business

trade with

▪ India began trading with Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries.

trade in

▪ The company trades in silk, tea, and other items.

▪ They had to travel into town to trade the produce from their farm.

2.) [i]BrE

to exist and operate as a business

▪ The firm now trades under the name Lanski and Weber.

cease trading

(=stop being a business because you are bankrupt)

3.) [T usually passive]

to buy or sell something on the ↑stock exchange

▪ Over a million shares were traded today.

4.) trade insults/blows etc

to insult or hit each other during an argument or fight

5.) [I and T] especially AmE to exchange something you have for something someone else has

British Equivalent: swap

▪ We traded necklaces.

trade sth with sb

▪ I wouldn't mind trading jobs with her.

trade (sb) sth for sth

▪ I'll trade you my camera for your drill.

trade at [trade at sth] phr v

if shares etc trade at a particular price, they cost that amount to buy

trade down phr v

to replace something you own with something cheaper, or buy a cheaper type of thing than before

trade down to

▪ Many of their customers are trading down to cheaper cigarettes.

trade in [trade sth<=>in] phr v

to give something such as a car to the person you are buying a new one from, as part of the payment

trade something<=>in for

▪ He traded his old car in for a new model.

→↑trade-in

trade off [trade sth<=>off] phr v

to balance one situation or quality against another, in order to produce an acceptable result

trade something<=>off for/against

▪ Companies are under pressure to trade off price stability for short-term gains.

→↑trade-off

trade on/upon [trade on/upon sth] phr v

to use a situation or someone's kindness in order to get an advantage for yourself

▪ If you ask me, they're just trading on Sam's good nature.

trade up phr v

to replace something you own with something better, or buy a better type of thing than before

trade up to/from

▪ It also encourages existing home owners to trade up to larger accommodation.