noun, verb, trad⋅ed, trad⋅ing, adjective | 1. | the act or process of buying, selling, or exchanging commodities, at either wholesale or retail, within a country or between countries: domestic trade; foreign trade. |
| 2. | a purchase or sale; business deal or transaction. |
| 3. | an exchange of items, usually without payment of money. |
| 4. | any occupation pursued as a business or livelihood. |
| 5. | some line of skilled manual or mechanical work; craft: the trade of a carpenter; printer's trade. |
| 6. | people engaged in a particular line of business: a lecture of interest only to the trade. |
| 7. | market: an increase in the tourist trade. |
| 8. | a field of business activity: a magazine for the furniture trade. |
| 9. | the customers of a business establishment. |
| 10. | Informal. trade paper. |
| 11. | trades. trade wind (def. 1). |
| 12. | to buy and sell; barter; traffic in. |
| 13. | to exchange: to trade seats. |
| 14. | to carry on trade. |
| 15. | to traffic (usually fol. by in): a tyrant who trades in human lives. |
| 16. | to make an exchange. |
| 17. | to make one's purchases; shop; buy. |
| 18. | of or pertaining to trade or commerce. |
| 19. | used by, serving, or intended for a particular trade: trade journal. |
| 20. | Also, trades. of, composed of, or serving the members of a trade: a trade club. |
| 21. | trade down, to exchange a more valuable or desirable item for a less valuable or desirable one. |
| 22. | trade in, to give (a used article) as payment to be credited toward a purchase: We trade in our car every three years. |
| 23. | trade off, to exchange something for or with another. |
| 24. | trade on or upon, to turn to one's advantage, esp. selfishly or unfairly; exploit: to trade on the weaknesses of others. |
| 25. | trade up, to exchange a less valuable or desirable item for a more valuable or desirable one. |

trade (trād) n.
v. intr.
trade downTo trade something in for something else of lower value or price: bought a new, smaller car, trading the old one down for economy. trade inTo surrender or sell (an old or used item), using the proceeds as partial payment on a new purchase. trade onTo put to calculated and often unscrupulous advantage; exploit: children of celebrities who trade on their family names. trade upTo trade something in for something else of greater value or price: The value of our house soared, enabling us to trade up to a larger place. [Middle English, course, from Middle Low German.] trad'a·ble, trade'a·ble adj. |
Business or commerce; economic activity.
Trade
1. A transaction involving the sale and purchase of a security.
2. In general, the buying and selling of goods and services.
Investopedia Commentary
Trading is not a new phenomenon - we've been doing it for centuries! The trade that occurred among the most primitive humans has evolved considerably over time, and the word "trade" has come to include the complex trading that occurs on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). However, the basic elements haven't changed a bit - trade still involves giving one thing in exchange for another.
Related Links
What Is The World Trade Organization?
Ten Steps to Building a Winning Trading Plan
What Is International Trade?
See also: Broker, New York Stock Exchange - NYSE, Security, Trade Date, Trade Finance
Also spelled: trading
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In addition to the idioms beginning with trade, also see tricks of the trade.