|
  • Search Results
  • Advanced Search
  • List Builder
  • Random Word

trade

When Bobby has peanut butter but wants bologna and Billy has bologna but wants peanut butter––they can make a trade. Trade also means a set of job skills––to learn a trade means to train for a certain job.

The concept of trading––or bartering––forms the basis of modern civilization––it brings along division of labor, literacy, urbanization. Thinking in those terms you can see how tradespeople––those trained in trades end up essentially trading their services, with money being introduced when the barter system breaks down or becomes too complex.

PRIMARY MEANINGS OF: trade

1
 nv
the commercial exchange (buying and selling on domestic or international markets) of goods and services
engage in the trade of
2
 n
the skilled practice of a practical occupation
3
 nv
an equal exchange
exchange or give (something) in exchange for
4
 n
steady winds blowing from east to west above and below the equator
FULL DEFINITIONS OF: trade
1

n the commercial exchange (buying and selling on domestic or international markets) of goods and services

“Venice was an important center of trade with the East”
“they are accused of conspiring to constrain trade”
Types:
show 4 types...
hide 4 types...
fair trade
trade that is conducted legally
fair trade
trade that satisfies certain criteria on the supply chain of the goods involved, usually including fair payment for producers; often with other social and environmental considerations
free trade
international trade free of government interference
NAFTA, North American Free Trade Agreement
an agreement for free trade between the United States and Canada and Mexico; became effective in 1994 for ten years
Type of:
commerce, commercialism, mercantilism
transactions (sales and purchases) having the objective of supplying commodities (goods and services)

n a particular instance of buying or selling

“I had no further trade with him”
Synonyms:
business deal, deal
Types:
arms deal
a deal to provide military arms
penny ante
a business deal on a trivial scale
Type of:
dealing, dealings, transaction
the act of transacting within or between groups (as carrying on commercial activities)

n the business given to a commercial establishment by its customers

Synonyms:
patronage
Types:
custom
habitual patronage
Type of:
business
the volume of commercial activity

v engage in the trade of

Synonyms:
merchandise
Types:
show 9 types...
hide 9 types...
black market, run
deal in illegally, such as arms or liquor
traffic
trade or deal a commodity
arbitrage
practice arbitrage, as in the stock market
traffic
deal illegally
market
engage in the commercial promotion, sale, or distribution of
import
bring in from abroad
export
sell or transfer abroad
offer
make available for sale
smuggle
import or export without paying customs duties

v do business; offer for sale as for one's livelihood

Synonyms:
deal, sell
deal
sell
sell
be sold at a certain price or in a certain way
Types:
show 6 types...
hide 6 types...
push
sell or promote the sale of (illegal goods such as drugs)
deal
sell
black marketeer
deal on the black market
pyramid
use or deal in (as of stock or commercial transaction) in a pyramid deal
market
deal in a market
hawk, huckster, monger, peddle, pitch, vend
sell or offer for sale from place to place
Type of:
transact
conduct business

v be traded at a certain price or under certain conditions

“The stock traded around $20 a share”
Types:
close
be priced or listed when trading stops
Type of:
sell
be sold at a certain price or in a certain way
2

n the skilled practice of a practical occupation

“he learned his trade as an apprentice”
Synonyms:
craft
Types:
show 45 types...
hide 45 types...
airplane mechanics
the craft of building and repairing airplanes
auto mechanics
the craft of building and repairing automobiles
basketry
the craft of basket making
carpentry, woodwork, woodworking
the craft of a carpenter: making things out of wood
drafting, mechanical drawing
the craft of drawing blueprints
dressmaking
the craft of making dresses
electrical work
the craft of an electrician
interior decoration, interior design
the trade of planning the layout and furnishings of an architectural interior
lumbering
the trade of cutting or preparing or selling timber
masonry
the craft of a mason
oculism
the craft of an oculist
house painting, painting
the occupation of a house painter
papermaking
the craft of making paper
pilotage, piloting
the occupation of a pilot
plumbery, plumbing
the occupation of a plumber (installing and repairing pipes and fixtures for water or gas or sewage in a building)
pottery
the craft of making earthenware
pyrotechnics, pyrotechny
the craft of making fireworks
cobbling, shoe repairing, shoemaking
the shoemaker's trade
roofing
the craft of a roofer
sheet-metal work
the craft of doing sheet metal work (as in ventilation systems)
shingling
the laying on of shingles
tailoring
the occupation of a tailor
tool-and-die work
the craft of making special tools and dies
handicraft
a craft that requires skillful hands
mintage
act or process of minting coins
tanning
making leather from rawhide
typography
the craft of composing type and printing from it
undertaking
the trade of a funeral director
upholstery
the craft of upholstering
wine making, winemaking
the craft and science of growing grapes and making wine
bookbinding
the craft of binding books
bricklaying
the craft of laying bricks
cabinetry, cabinetwork
the craft of making furniture (especially furniture of high quality)
furnishing
the act of decorating a house or room
lighting
the craft of providing artificial light
cabinetmaking, joinery
the craft of a joiner
couture
high fashion designing and dressmaking
sewing, stitching
joining or attaching by stitches
spinning
creating thread
weaving
creating fabric
knitting
creating knitted wear
crocheting
creating a garment of needlework
lace making, tatting
the act or art of making handmade lace
needlecraft, needlework
work (such as sewing or embroidery) that is done with a needle
slating
the act of laying slates for a roof
Type of:
business, job, line, line of work, occupation
the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money

n people who perform a particular kind of skilled work

“as they say in the trade”
Synonyms:
craft
Type of:
class, social class, socio-economic class, stratum
people having the same social, economic, or educational status
3

n an equal exchange

Synonyms:
barter, swap, swop
Types:
horse trade, horse trading
the swapping of horses (accompanied by much bargaining)
Type of:
exchange, interchange
reciprocal transfer of equivalent sums of money (especially the currencies of different countries)

v exchange or give (something) in exchange for

Synonyms:
swap, switch, swop
Type of:
change, exchange, interchange
give to, and receive from, one another

v turn in as payment or part payment for a purchase

“trade in an old car for a new one”
Synonyms:
trade in
Types:
barter away
trade in in a bartering transaction
Type of:
change, exchange, interchange
give to, and receive from, one another
4

n steady winds blowing from east to west above and below the equator

“they rode the trade winds going west”
Synonyms:
trade wind
Type of:
prevailing wind
the predominant wind direction
Learn Launch
WORD FAMILY
USAGE EXAMPLES