interest rate
Americannoun
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interest rates
plural
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Business. the amount that a lender charges a borrower for taking out a loan, for maintaining a balance on debt, etc.: typically expressed as an annual percentage of the loan balance.
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Banking. the amount earned on a savings, checking, or money market account, or on an investment, such as a certificate of deposit or bond: typically expressed as an annual percentage of the account balance or investment sum.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of interest rate
First recorded in 1885–90
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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.
That month, the top 10 high-yield savings accounts averaged a 4% interest rate, according to Bankrate.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026
Investors have had mixed reactions to the cut in what is known as "forward guidance," with analysts saying it has introduced more uncertainty into how financial markets price in inflation and interest rate expectations.
From Barron's ● Sep. 13, 2026
Students starting university in England now have Plan 5 loans, which have a lower interest rate but also a lower threshold and longer repayment term.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
Rate hike projections are nearing 70% for the Federal Reserve’s interest rate meeting next week, according to CME’s FedWatch tool.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
The buyer of the second tranche—the second story of the skyscraper—took the next wave of prepayments and in exchange received the second highest interest rate, and so on.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
