interest rate
Americannoun
-
interest rates
plural
-
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.
-
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
Compare meaning
How does interest-rate compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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 close relationship between these rates is critical to calibrating monetary policy because few transactions that matter for key macro variables like gross domestic product, employment and inflation depend on the overnight interest rate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026
The interest rate on their Ipswich home loan could rise from 1.4% to about 5.3%, which, Dawn says, could add "about £250 extra a month just for living in the same property".
From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026
Under Proposition 37, down payment loans would work like any other, and would carry an interest rate and payback period — all of which would be determined by the California Housing Finance Agency.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2026
Don’t miss: We have a $300,000 mortgage with a 2.75% interest rate.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026
“At a low, low interest rate of six percent a month. That would make your monthly payment, after a reasonable down—”
From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
