credit score

[kred-it skawr]

noun

Personal Finance.

1. a numerical ranking of an individual’s financial creditworthiness based on spending and credit history, indicating to potential lenders and credit card issuers the individual’s capacity and likelihood to make timely payments of amounts due on loans or credit cards.

Word History and Origins

Origin of credit score¹

First recorded in 1975–80

Example Sentences

If your mother dies and the mortgage is still outstanding, your brother and his wife’s credit score will take a hit if they don’t pay off the mortgage.

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One cardholder worried that closing his Citi accounts could damage his credit score, since the bank’s cards make up roughly half his total available credit.

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A Tricolor bond offering this year showed that more than two-thirds of its borrowers lacked a credit score.

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Don’t miss: ‘I’m stumped’: I put $3,000 on my credit card during a vacation and my credit score plunged.

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‘I’m stumped’: I put $3,000 on my credit card during a vacation and my credit score plunged.

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