rating

¹ American  

[ray-ting] / ˈreɪ tɪŋ /

noun

1. classification according to grade or rank.

2. assigned position in a particular class or grade, or relative standing, as of a ship or a member of the armed forces.

3. the credit standing of a person or firm.

4. Radio, Television. a percentage indicating the number of listeners to or viewers of a specific program.

5. a designated operating limit for a machine, apparatus, etc., as of voltage, load, or frequency, based on specified conditions.

6. an amount fixed as a rate.

7. British. apportioning of a tax.

8. Chiefly British. one of the enlisted personnel in the British navy.

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rating ² American  

[ray-ting] / ˈreɪ tɪŋ /

noun

1. an angry reprimand or rebuke; scolding.

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rating ¹ British  

/ ˈreɪtɪŋ /

noun

1. a classification according to order or grade; ranking

2. (in certain navies) a sailor who holds neither commissioned nor warrant rank; an ordinary seaman

3. sailing a handicap assigned to a racing boat based on its dimensions, sail area, weight, draught, etc

4. the estimated financial or credit standing of a business enterprise or individual

5. radio television a figure based on statistical sampling indicating what proportion of the total listening and viewing audience tune in to a specific programme or network

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rating ² British  

/ ˈreɪtɪŋ /

noun

1. a sharp scolding or rebuke

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Etymology

Origin of rating¹

First recorded in 1525–35; rat(e) ¹ + -ing ¹

Origin of rating²

First recorded in 1570–80; rat(e) ² + -ing ¹

Explanation

A rating is a valuation or rank on a scale. Hotels are often ranked from zero to five stars, so a fancy hotel with loads of amenities (like a pool and plush bathrobes) will usually have a five-star rating. A movie gets a rating based on which audience it’s appropriate for – as in, rated G for kids or rated R for adults. When a TV show gets good ratings, then a lot of people watch it. Before you buy an expensive item, like a bike or an appliance, you can read its ratings online, and once you've tried it out, you can provide your own rating.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rating

Affin Hwang maintains a neutral rating on Malaysia’s oil and gas sector, and pegs Dialog and Bumi Armada as top buys.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

Investors are now nervously awaiting an October 23 decision by Moody's on France's sovereign credit rating, as a downgrade would automatically raise the government's borrowing costs further.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

UBS cuts its rating on the educational materials company’s stock to neutral from buy, but keeps its target price at 13 pounds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

For at least the past three years, Borges was in the former camp, as she’s had a neutral rating on the stock.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026

Here the Wall Street bond trading desks exploited another blind spot in the rating agencies’ models.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

Related Words

• appraisal
• assessment
• category
• valuation