credit rating

American  

noun

1. a classification of credit risk based on investigation of a customer's or potential customer's financial resources, prior payment pattern, and personal history or degree of personal responsibility for debts incurred.

---

credit rating British  

noun

1. an evaluation of the creditworthiness of an individual or business enterprise

---

credit rating Cultural  

1. An evaluation of the financial trustworthiness of an individual, firm, or government.

---

Etymology

Origin of credit rating

First recorded in 1955–60

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

credit rating

Musk said that SpaceX’s investment-grade credit rating and its diversified business, which includes revenue from rockets and Starlink satellite technology, enabled it to land the deal.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026

Moody’s said this was not a credit rating action and is not an indication of whether or not a credit rating action is likely in the near future.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

Moody’s is expected by investors on Friday to downgrade France’s credit rating, while retaining the country’s investment-grade status.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

AM Best, which rates insurers, reported in April that about one-third of the industry’s annuity reserves sit with 95 companies that carry a lower credit rating now than they did in 2007.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2026

Cleopatra Cowley-Pendleton was a warm woman with a soft voice and close-cropped hair who worked in customer service at a credit rating company.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---