treɪd n. & v. --n. 1 a buying
and selling. b buying and selling conducted
between nations etc. c
business conducted
for profit (esp. as
distinct from a profession) (a
butcher by trade). d business of a specified
nature or
time (Christmas trade;
tourist trade). 2 a
skilled handicraft esp. requiring an apprenticeship (learnt a trade;
his trade is plumbing). 3 (usu. prec. by the) a
the people engaged in a
specific trade (the trade will
never agree to
it; trade enquiries only). b
Brit. colloq. licensed victuallers. c colloq. the
submarine service. 4 US a
transaction, esp. a
swap. 5 (usu. in pl.) a trade wind. --v. 1 intr. (often foll. by
in, with)
engage in trade;
buy and
sell (trades in
plastic novelties; we trade
with Japan). 2 tr. a
exchange in
commerce;
barter (goods). b exchange (insults, blows, etc.). 3 intr. (usu. foll. by with, for)
have a transaction with a
person for a
thing. 4 intr. (usu. foll. by to)
carry goods to a
place. øbe in trade esp. derog. be in commerce, esp.
keep a
shop.
foreign trade
international trade. Trade
Board Brit.
hist. a
statutory body for settling disputes etc. in
certain industries. trade
book a book published by a
commercial publisher and
intended for
general readership. trade
cycle Brit. recurring periods of boom and
recession. trade
gap the
extent by
which a country's imports
exceed its exports. trade in (often foll. by for) exchange (esp. a used
car etc.) in esp.
part payment for
another. trade-in n. a thing, esp. a car, exchanged in
this way. trade
journal a
periodical containing
news etc.
concerning a
particular trade. trade-last US a
compliment from a
third person which is reported to the person complimented in exchange for
one to the
reporter. trade mark 1 a
device,
word, or words, secured by
legal registration or established by
use as representing a
company,
product, etc. 2 a
distinctive characteristic etc. trade
name 1 a name by which a thing is called in a trade. 2 a name
given to a product. 3 a name
under which a business trades. trade
off exchange, esp. as a
compromise. trade-off n.
such an exchange. trade on
take advantage of (a person's credulity, one's
reputation, etc.). trade
paper = trade journal. trade plates number-plates used by a car-dealer etc. on
unlicensed cars. trade
price a
wholesale price charged to the
dealer before goods are retailed. trade
secret 1 a secret device or
technique used esp. in a trade. 2 joc.
any secret. Trades
Union Congress Brit. the
official representative body of
British trade unions,
meeting annually. trade (or trades) union an organized
association of workers in a trade,
group of trades, or a
profession, formed to
protect and
further their rights and interests. trade(or trades-) unionism this
system of association. trade(or trades-)
unionist a
member of a trade union. trade wind a wind blowing continually
towards the
equator and deflected
westward, f. obs. blow trade = blow regularly. øøtradable adj. tradeable adj. [ME f. MLG trade track f. OS trada, OHG trata:
cf. TREAD]