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.

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credit rating British  

noun

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

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credit rating Cultural  

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

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Etymology

Origin of credit rating

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

credit rating

Investors are concerned that the company’s increasing capital expenditures are straining its balance sheet and potentially pushing its credit rating below investment grade.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026

President Nicusor Dan, a pro-European centrist, tried to address people's concerns last weekend after Romania avoided a downgrade of its credit rating by Fitch to "junk", or below investment grade.

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026

Nvidia’s backing would help SB Energy raise debt at better terms because OpenAI lacks an investment-grade credit rating.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

The third investigation followed the downgrading of South East Water's credit rating by Moody's in May, which meant the firm was in breach of its licence condition.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

More prone to flooding—the first to take losses—they bear a lower credit rating: triple-B.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis