trades

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of trade. Use this form when you mean more than one job or more than one swap.

   Carpentry and plumbing are skilled trades that take years to learn.

   He made several trades at the card shop last weekend.

   Note
2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of trade. Use this form after he, she, it, or one person or thing.

   She trades old comics for ones she doesn't have yet.

   He trades stocks online before he goes to work.

   Note
3. 3
   nounpluralabbreviationellipsis

   Short form of building and manufacturing trades. It means skilled hands-on jobs and the people who do them.

   Many young people are choosing the trades over a four-year college.

   The trades pay well for anyone willing to learn a real skill.

   Note
4. 4
   nounpluralabbreviationellipsis

   Short form of trade winds. It means the steady winds that blow toward the equator from the east.

   Old sailing ships relied on the trades to carry them across the ocean.

   Near the equator the trades blow steadily from the east all year.

   Note
5. 5
   nounpluralabbreviationellipsis

   Short form of trade publications. It means the magazines and news made for people in one line of work.

   The new gadget was reviewed in all the major trades this month.

   Editors at the trades broke the story before the big papers did.

   Note

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