- 1trade-off (between something and something) the act of balancing two things that are opposed to each other a trade-off between increased production and a reduction in quality There is a trade-off between the benefits of the drug and the risk of side effects.
- 2something bad that you have to accept, or something of value that you have to lose, in order to have something good We love living in the country, but the trade-off is the long commute to work. trade-off for something Being popular is sometimes a trade-off for better grades in school.
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