interest rate
Americannoun
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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.
The Fed voted 9-3 on Wednesday to leave a key U.S. interest rate unchanged even though inflation is running close to 4%, almost double the central bank’s goal.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
Market pricing for a September interest rate increase fell to 69% after previously being fully priced.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
Whatever Warsh’s leanings, economists also point out that he is just one voter on a 12-member committee that sets the key U.S. interest rate.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026
The committee of five women and four men will announce their latest interest rate decision at 12:00 BST, with a hold the widespread expectation.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 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.
