interest rate
Americannoun
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Business. the amount that a lender charges a borrower for taking out a loan, for maintaining a balance on debt, etc.: typically expressed as an annual percentage of the loan balance.
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Banking. the amount earned on a savings, checking, or money market account, or on an investment, such as a certificate of deposit or bond: typically expressed as an annual percentage of the account balance or investment sum.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of interest rate
First recorded in 1885–90
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A Meta-backed data-center project priced a $12.55 billion bond offering at a higher interest rate than a similar deal last year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Existing bonds tied to a similar Meta project in Louisiana were trading at a yield about half a percentage point lower than the new deal’s interest rate on Monday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Bank Indonesia has lifted its key interest rate by 100 basis points so far this year to 5.75 percent.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
At the end of 2025, the weekly national average interest rate for 30-year fixed mortgage loans in the U.S. was 6.15%, according to Freddie Mac.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
In exchange, he received a higher interest rate.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
