interest rate
Americannoun
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interest rates
plural
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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.
The BOJ said Friday it raised its benchmark interest rate to 1.25%.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
The national average interest rate for a 30-year mortgage loan has increased from 6.15% at the end of 2025, according to data compiled by Freddie Mac.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
He purchased the building on 23rd Street, according to public records, in the 1970s, taking out a $150,000 mortgage on the property at an 8 percent interest rate.
From Slate ● Sep. 18, 2026
Borrowers must meet strict eligibility checks and pay a higher interest rate - in Conroy and Amber's case 5.33% fixed for five years - but they were happy to do this.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
“The company's going to loan them the money, almost no interest rate, twenty years to pay.”
From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam
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.
