trade
noun
uk/treɪd/ us [ U ] COMMERCE
the buying and selling of goods between people, companies, or countries:
trade between sb and sb The policy is intended to increase trade between India and southeast Asia.
trade in sth The country's trade in manufactured goods has expanded in the last ten years.
a trade body/group Leaders of industry trade groups are urging caution in raising oil taxes.
the minister for trade and industry
global/international/regional trade
trade policies/practices
trade concessions/liberalization
trade deals/negotiations/talks
[ C ]
a particular business or industry:
Members of the building trade have opposed the measure.
the catering/retail/tourist trade
the car/diamond/fur trade
[ U ] ECONOMICS
a country's imports and exports in a particular period:
Consumer spending slowed down and investment and net trade recovered.
The dollar has been boosted by two months of better American trade figures.
[ U ]
business activity:
lose/boost trade Many small local shops have lost up to 50% of their trade since the supermarket opened.
Trade is always slow in the winter months.
[ C or U ]
a job, especially one that needs special skill and involves working with your hands:
He's an electrician by trade.
She wants to go to college and learn a trade.
[ C or U ]
a situation in which you exchange something that you own for something that you want:
Does anyone want to do a trade for my mobile phone?
We have hundreds of CDs available for sale or trade.
[ C or U ] FINANCE, STOCK MARKET
the activity of buying and selling shares, investments, etc. or an occasion when people do this:
EBS claims to broker about 10,000 trades a day.
afternoon/morning trade was brisk.
do a roaring trade (in sth) (also do a brisk trade (in sth))
to sell a lot of something:
We do a roaring trade in ice-creams during the hot weather.
the trade
a particular business or industry, and the people who work in it:
People who work in the trade can buy their books at a discount.
The website offers a huge choice of private and trade sales for secondhand buyers.
a trade journal/magazine
See also
balance of trade
barrier to trade
cap and trade
carry trade
chamber of trade
countertrade
distributive trades
external trade
fair trade
foreign trade
free trade
global trade
insider trade
invisible trade
overseas trade
passing trade
the rag trade
stock-in-trade
terms of trade
visible trade
wash trade
trade
verb
uk/treɪd/ us [ I or T ] COMMERCE
to buy and sell goods or services:
be traded between sb and sb The plan knocks down tariffs on goods traded between the two countries.
trade with sb All councils trade electronically with their suppliers.
trade in sth Besides trading in goods, we also trade in services.
to give something that you own as part of the payment for something that you buy, especially a new type of the same product:
trade sth for sth I traded my car for a new vehicle.
[ I ]
to exist and operate as a business:
trade as sth The company trades as 'Pioneer Clothing'.
The business traded under the name of College Crackers.
The supermarket ceased trading in 2009.
[ I or T ] STOCK MARKET, FINANCE
to buy and sell shares on a stock market:
Investors will be offered the choice of three ways to trade.
Around 95,000 long gilt contracts were traded on Liffe today.
[ I ] FINANCE, STOCK MARKET
to be bought and sold on a stock market:
Only six months ago the shares were trading as high as 35.5p.
Foreign stock markets were trading down about 2%.
[ T ]
to exchange something, or to stop doing or using something and start doing or using something else instead:
trade sth for sth Most investors would trade a steadily climbing market for a volatile index any day.
[ I ] COMMERCE US
to buy goods or do your shopping at a particular store:
We don't trade at his store anymore.
See also
fairly-traded
overtrade
publicly-traded
Phrasal verbs
trade down
trade sth in
trade sth off
trade up