rate

¹ American  

[reyt] / reɪt /

noun

• rates
  plural

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

Derived Forms

• rater
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• rates
  plural

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”

Explanation

When you pay a high rate, you pay a lot of money. When you move at a high rate of speed, you go fast. If you are a judge at a contest, you rate the contestants. It's interesting how one word can have different origins for different meanings. For example, the noun rate, referring to amounts comes from the Latin rata, “a fixed amount.” But the verb rate seems to come from the Scandinavian rata, "to reject." If the person you are dating asks you to rate them against your previous partners, you might change the subject at a high rate of speed.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rate rates rated rating

Asian stocks mostly rose on Monday following a retreat on Wall Street as investors assessed fresh data that tempered expectations for a US interest rate hike but indicated weakness in the world's top economy.

From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026

Recent weak jobs data and subdued inflation data prompted markets to trim rate rise bets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

Researchers measured physical activity and sedentary behavior using both survey questionnaires and a device that combined heart rate and movement measurements.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026

It added that the remaining 0.02% margin is not a "real-world misidentification rate", but a boundary where additional human checks filter out potential errors before alerts are sent.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

“How would he know the going rate of ivory?”

From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri

"Taken together, the data suggest that US economic momentum may be losing some steam, strengthening expectations that the Federal Reserve could leave rates unchanged in September."

From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026

Since the central bank started cutting in 2024, overnight interest rates have come down 1.75 percentage points.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

A recent study estimated, external 1.6 million adults in England, Wales and Scotland used weight-loss drugs in 2024-25, most buying them privately, and the North East has the highest adult obesity rates in England.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

The data will be watched for clues on the prospects of the Bank of England raising interest rates in 2026.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

The village, like many in Vietnam, had high rates of polio, a disease that caused muscle weakness, even paralysis.

From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge

When Manchester City paid £12.5m to sign Jeremy Monga from Leicester City last month, they were not alone in wanting one of English football's most highly rated teenagers.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

Most packages include round-trip airfare and a stay in a hotel rated three stars or higher.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

"Options that were chosen more frequently were not only preferred, but also rated as better."

From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026

Principal said it tallied its Egan-Jones rated debt slightly differently from the Journal and came up with a total of $1.7 billion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

Not sex, even—I keep it rated Teen for the kids out there—just love.”

From "Turtles All the Way Down" by John Green

The credit rating outfit said that is the most of any North American life insurers it reviews.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

The credit agency said the current rating is unlikely to improve without completion or major progress.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

In 2024, the credit agency downgraded the bond rating from BBB- to BB+.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

Citi has a last-published buy rating on the stock and a target price of 39.25 Australian dollars.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

And no trying to sneak in an R rating after I’m asleep.

From "Harbor Me" by Jacqueline Woodson

Related Words

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