trade down

British

verb

(intr, adverb) to sell a large or relatively expensive house, car, etc, and replace it with a smaller or less expensive one

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

trade down Idioms

Exchange for something of lower value or price, as in They bought a smaller boat, trading down for the sake of economy. Similarly, trade up means “make an exchange for something of higher value or price,” as in They traded up to a larger house. [First half of 1900s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Bostic described an economy in which affluent families continue to spend while others trade down and cut back.

From Barron's

However, the positive stock impact was short-lived: Shares initially rose 4% on Tuesday before reversing course to trade down 3%.

From MarketWatch

He anticipates a 12% increase to the overall average selling price as some customers to trade down to cheaper models.

From MarketWatch

Shares trade down 1.2% at 2,833.5 pence.

From The Wall Street Journal

While price increases have helped PepsiCo offset inflation, the increases have become harder to sustain as consumers grow more selective and trade down to cheaper alternatives.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023