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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

credit rating

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

The lessee became a separate entity, with its own investment-grade credit rating, which is backed by a CoreWeave computing contract with Meta Platforms.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026

The Met, which is attempting to reverse annual losses and credit rating downgrades, seemed to have found a way forward in September 2025 when it unveiled a partnership with the Saudi Music Commission.

From Barron's ● Oct. 18, 2026

The company’s credit rating falls within the B category based on S&P Global Ratings, according to BondCliQ.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 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

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