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.
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.
That will be its first interest-rate hike since December, taking its benchmark interest rate to 1%, the highest level since 1995.
From Barron's • Jun. 15, 2026
Traders cut back on expectations of interest rate hikes.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 15, 2026
Economists expect further interest rate hikes, spelling potential trouble for the government's budget deficit, which it is required by law to keep at no more than three percent of GDP.
From Barron's • Jun. 14, 2026
A fixed-rate annuity pays a set interest rate for a certain number of years.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 12, 2026
If Morgan Stanley went bust, Chrysler, along with anyone else who had done interest rate swaps with Morgan Stanley, stood to suffer.
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.
