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. be 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. tradable adj. tradeable adj.
[ ME f. MLG trade track f. OS trada, OHG trata: cf. TREAD ]