ADJ
- brisk, flourishing, lively, roaring, thriving
- All around the pyramids, salespeople were doing a roaring trade in souvenirs
- lucrative, profitable
- external, foreign, global, international, overseas, world
- domestic, internal, inter-provincial, inter-regional, regional
- export, import, import-export
- direct, indirect
- free
- fair
- The organization promotes fair trade with developing countries
- legal, legitimate
- illegal, illicit
- attempts to curb the illicit trade in exotic species
- private
- bilateral, mutual
- unilateral
- coastal, maritime
- agricultural, commercial
- retail, wholesale
- It has been a bad year for the retail trade
- book, fur, slave, timber, tourist, wine, wool
- evil
- the evil trade in drugs
VERB + TRADE
- carry on, conduct, do, engage in, ply
- the tools needed to carry on a trade All manner of hawkers and street sellers were plying their trade
- boost, build up, develop, expand, increase, promote
- a bid to boost foreign trade He built up a trade in seeds, corn and manure
- damage, harm
- A bitterly cold winter damaged industrial output and trade
- lose
- Shops have lost a day's trade
- ban, restrict
TRADE + VERB
- boom, expand, grow, increase, pick up
- decline, fall
TRADE + NOUN
- balance, figures, performance, statistics
- surplus
- deficit, gap, imbalance
- barrier, blockade, boycott, embargo, restrictions, sanctions
- tariff
- dispute, war
- The countries were locked in a trade war, refusing to allow imports of each other's goods
- liberalization
- benefits, concessions
- accord, agreement, deal, pact, protocol, treaty
- negotiations, talks
- cooperation, links, network, relations
- policy, practice
- The US was accused of employing unfair trade practices
- law, rules
- bloc
- The five countries formed a regional trade bloc
- delegation, mission
- Several local firms took part in a trade mission to Spain
- official, representative
- talks between trade officials from the two countries
- mark (also trademark), name
- exhibition, fair, show
- centre
- route
- The road has been an important trade route since prehistoric times
- cycle
- the boom and slump periods of a trade cycle
- association, body, group, organization
- the trade body representing water companies
- buyer, customer
- The vase was bought by a trade buyer (= for example, somebody who works in the antiques trade)
- directory
- journal, magazine, paper, press
- information, secret
- The employees were fired for divulging trade secrets to a competitor
PREP
- in a/the ~
- She's in the wholesale fruit trade. These special flour sacks are known in the trade as 'pockets'
- ~ between
- Trade between the Adriatic ports and their hinterland had grown
- ~ in
- Steps were taken to ban the trade in ivory
- ~ with
- The US has restricted trade with India
VERB + TRADE
- learn
- exercise, follow, practise
PREP
- by ~
- She is a carpenter by trade
PHRASES
- a jack of all trades (= a person who can do many different types of work), the tricks of the trade
- The experienced artisan would pass on the tricks of the trade to the apprentice