at any rate

Idioms  

1. In any event, whatever the case may be; also, at least. For example, At any rate, I promise to be there even if I'm a little late, or It may not pay well, but at any rate it's a job. [Early 1600s] Also see in any case.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

at any rate

Outwardly, at any rate, his confidence in his own ability seems untouched.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2025

Maxine has more successfully inserted herself into Norma’s life, or at any rate into the room she occupies in a five-star nursing home, since Norma is unable to protest.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 19, 2024

The real Ballard claims the pendant was engraved with a line from 1 Timothy 6:11; at any rate, it explains why Mel Gibson's Jesus heads on a crusade to and through Columbia to find her.

From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2023

I’m no longer completely convinced by the ½ camp, at any rate.

From Scientific American ● May 4, 2023

Only Sam was doubtful: he at any rate still thought boats as bad as wild horses, or worse, and not all the dangers that he had survived made him think better of them.

From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien

Related Words

• anyhow
• ever
• once