balance of trade

[ bal-uhnsuhv treyd ]
See synonyms for balance of trade on Thesaurus.com
nounEconomics.
  1. the difference between the values of the exports and imports of a country, said to be favorable when exports are greater, and unfavorable when imports are greater.: See also trade deficit, trade surplus.

Origin of balance of trade

1
First recorded in 1660–70

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British Dictionary definitions for balance of trade

balance of trade

noun
  1. economics the difference in value between total exports and total imports of goods: Also called: visible balance Compare invisible balance

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for balance of trade

balance of trade

That part of the balance of payments relating to goods only (as opposed to services, monetary movements, official reserve transactions, etc.).

Notes for balance of trade

A nation whose imports are worth more than its exports is said to have an unfavorable balance of trade, or to be running a trade deficit.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.