Meaning of trade In English

• 0 the activity of buying and selling, or exchanging, goods and/or services between people or countries:

  • The country's trade in manufactured goods has expanded in the last ten years.

  • 70 percent of the country's trade is with Europe.

  • The two countries have signed a trade agreement for one year only.

  • Since the supermarket opened, many small local shops have lost up to 50 percent of their trade.

  • In hot weather, shops do a roaring/brisk trade in (= sell a lot of) cold drinks and ice cream.

  • This level of confidence in the economy is good for trade generally.

• 1 a particular business or industry:

  • the building/catering/tourist trade

  • the book/car/fur trade

  • He worked in the same trade all his life.

  • She went to college to learn a trade.

  • He's a carpenter by trade.

  • People who work in the trade can buy their books at a discount.

  • The company only supplies its goods to the (building/catering) trade, not direct to the public.

• 2 used to refer to the publishing of books, etc. that are aimed at the general public:

  • My friend just moved to trade publishing after years in academic publishing.

  • The paperback edition has been on the Times's trade fiction bestseller list for nearly thirty weeks.

  • a steel industry trade journal

• 3 to buy and sell goods or services, especially between countries:

  • For centuries, Native Americans traded with European settlers.

  • The company has been trading in oil for many years.

  • The two countries have become close trading partners.

  • Our books are traded throughout Asia.

  • The volume of stocks traded today was very high.

  • Shares in the company traded actively.

• 4 to exchange something, or to stop using or doing something and start using or doing something else instead:

  • The children traded comics.

  • [ + two objects ] I'll trade you some of my chocolate for some of your ice cream.

  • I wouldn't trade you for the world (= I do not want a different partner).

  • We sat around the dinner table, trading stories.

  • The two politicians didn't really discuss the issues, they just traded insults.

• 5 the activity of buying and selling goods and services esp. between countries:

  • [ U ] foreign trade

  • [ U ] a trade agreement

• 6 a job, esp. one that needs special skill and that involves working with your hands, or the type of work in which such skills are needed:

  • [ C ] the building trades

  • [ U ] He’s an auto mechanic/electrician by trade.

  • [ C ] the book/tourist trade

• 7 to buy, sell, or exchange goods:

  • [ I ] For centuries, Native Americans traded with European settlers.

  • [ T ] The children traded comics.

  • [ T ] The two players traded insults and nearly came to blows.

  • [ M ] He recently traded in his Jeep for a red Mercedes.

• 8 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

• 9 a particular business or industry:

  • Members of the building trade have opposed the measure.

  • the catering/retail/tourist trade

  • the car/diamond/fur trade

• 10 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.

• 11 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.

• 12 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.

• 13 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.

• 14 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.

• 15 to sell a lot of something:

  • We do a roaring trade in ice-creams during the hot weather.

• 16 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

• 17 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.

• 18 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.

• 19 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.

• 20 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.

• 21 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%.

• 22 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.

• 23 to buy goods or do your shopping at a particular store:

  • We don't trade at his store anymore.