rate

¹ American  

[reyt] / reɪt /

noun

1. the amount of a charge or payment with reference to some basis of calculation.

   a high rate of interest on loans.

2. a certain quantity or amount of one thing considered in relation to a unit of another thing and used as a standard or measure.

   at the rate of 60 miles an hour.

3. a fixed charge per unit of quantity.

   a rate of 10 cents a pound.

4. price; cost.

   to cut rates on all home furnishings.

5. degree of speed, progress, etc..

   to work at a rapid rate.

   Synonyms:

   tempo, pace

6. degree or comparative extent of action or procedure.

   the rate of increase in work output.

7. relative condition or quality; grade, class, or sort.

8. assigned position in any of a series of graded classes; rating.

9. Insurance. the premium charge per unit of insurance.

10. a charge by a common carrier for transportation, sometimes including certain services involved in rendering such transportation.

11. a wage paid on a specified time basis.

    a salary figured on an hourly rate.

12. a charge or price established in accordance with a scale or standard.

    hotel rates based on length of stay.

13. Horology. the relative adherence of a timepiece to perfect timekeeping, measured in terms of the amount of time gained or lost within a certain period.

14. British. Usually rates.

    1. a tax on property for some local purpose.

    2. any tax assessed and paid to a local government, as any city tax or district tax.

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verb (used with object)

rated, rating

1. to estimate the value or worth of; appraise.

   to rate a student's class performance.

   Synonyms:

   measure, classify, rank

2. to esteem, consider, or account.

   He was rated one of the best writers around.

3. to fix at a certain rate, as of charge or payment.

4. to value for purposes of taxation or the like.

5. to make subject to the payment of a certain rate or tax.

6. to place in a certain rank, class, etc., as a ship or a sailor; give a specific rating to.

7. to be considered or treated as worthy of; merit.

   an event that doesn't even rate a mention in most histories of the period.

8. to arrange for the conveyance of (goods) at a certain rate.

verb (used without object)

rated, rating

1. to have value, standing, etc..

   a performance that didn't rate very high in the competition.

2. to have position in a certain class.

3. to rank very high in estimation.

   The new teacher really rates with our class.

idioms

1. at any rate,

   1. in any event; in any case.

   2. at least.

      It was a mediocre film, but at any rate there was one outstanding individual performance.

rate ² American  

[reyt] / reɪt /

verb (used with or without object)

rated, rating

1. to chide vehemently; scold.

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rate ¹ British  

/ reɪt /

noun

1. a quantity or amount considered in relation to or measured against another quantity or amount

   a rate of 70 miles an hour

2. 1. a price or charge with reference to a standard or scale

      rate of interest

      rate of discount

   2. ( as modifier )

      a rate card

3. a charge made per unit for a commodity, service, etc

4. See rates

5. the relative speed of progress or change of something variable; pace

   he works at a great rate

   the rate of production has doubled

6. 1. relative quality; class or grade

   2. ( in combination )

      first-rate ideas

7. statistics a measure of the frequency of occurrence of a given event, such as births and deaths, usually expressed as the number of times the event occurs for every thousand of the total population considered

8. a wage calculated against a unit of time

9. the amount of gain or loss of a timepiece

10. in any case; at all events; anyway

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verb

1. (also intr) to assign or receive a position on a scale of relative values; rank

   he is rated fifth in the world

2. to estimate the value of; evaluate

   we rate your services highly

3. to be worthy of; deserve

   this hotel does not rate four stars

4. to consider; regard

   I rate him among my friends

5. to assess the value of (property) for the purpose of local taxation

6. slang to think highly of

   the clients do not rate the new system

rate ² British  

/ reɪt /

verb

1. (tr) to scold or criticize severely; rebuke harshly

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rate More Idioms  

1. see at any rate; at this rate; x-rated.

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Other Word Forms

• rater noun

Etymology

Origin of rate¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English noun rate “monetary amount, value, estimated amount, proportional part,” from Old French rate and Medieval Latin rata, from Latin (prō) ratā (parte) “(according to) an estimated (part),” ratā ablative singular of rata, feminine of ratus, past participle of rērī “to judge”; verb derivative of the noun

Origin of rate²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English raten, araten; further origin uncertain; perhaps from Scandinavian; compare Swedish, Norwegian rata “to reject, cast aside”; or from Old French rateir, raiter, reter “to find fault with, blame”

Example Sentences

Estimates suggest that the utilization rate of household cars is around 5% — meaning that a car sits unused for 95% of its functional life.

From MarketWatch

That fund has returned a 12.5% net internal rate of return as of Sept. 30, according to Blue Owl’s latest financial report.

From The Wall Street Journal

"In fact, we're finding new species at a faster rate than ever before."

From Science Daily

That started a legacy of toxic pollution that left families asking whether the waste was the cause of unusually high rates of childhood cancer in the area.

From Los Angeles Times

The average cost of college has more than doubled over the past two decades; in fact, the compound annual growth rate of tuition costs is 4%, according to Education Data.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• appraise
• assess
• calculate
• consider
• count
• deem
• determine
• estimate
• evaluate
• grade
• peg
• rank
• regard
• score