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

NextEra has estimated that it can keep growing earnings in that unit at a heady 12% pace through 2032 while maintaining its credit rating.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026

On Thursday, Moody's downgraded its credit rating for South East Water, citing the "fallout" from supply failures and "continued resilience risk the company faces".

From BBC • May 31, 2026

She also wants to partner with financial institutions to develop a system for unbanked individuals, meaning those who don’t use traditional banks or credit unions, to start earning a credit rating and score.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

Lilly received an endorsement from an unlikely cheerleader on Thursday: S&P Global Ratings, which upgraded Lilly’s issuer credit rating to AA- from A+ while maintaining a positive outlook.

From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026

Nina Chandler Murray, an eighty-five-year-old relative of the Poor family of Standard & Poor’s, the investment credit rating firm, is convinced that the world of the elite was more genteel in the old days.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times