Meaning of rate In English

• 0 the speed at which something happens or changes, or the amount or number of times it happens or changes in a particular period:

  • Although she's recovering from her illness, her rate of progress is quite slow.

  • I told my assistants to work at their own rate.

  • The taxi was going at a tremendous rate.

  • the growth/inflation/mortality/unemployment, etc. rate

  • The drug has a high success/failure rate.

• 1 an amount or level of payment:

  • We agreed a rate with the painter before he started work.

  • What's the going (= standard) rate for this type of work?

  • Do you pay your mortgage on a fixed or variable rate (= of interest)?

• 2 a local tax paid in Australia, and in Britain in the past, by the owners of houses and other buildings

• 3 to judge the value or character of someone or something:

  • How do you rate him as a football player?

  • She is rated very highly by the people she works for.

  • informal "What do you think of her as a singer?" "I don't really rate her (= I do not think that she is very good)."

  • I rate cars as one of the worst polluters of the environment.

  • [ + obj + noun ] On a scale of one to ten, I'd rate his book a five.

  • Traffic accidents are so frequent that they don't rate a mention (= are not considered to be worth reporting) in the newspaper unless a lot of people are killed.

  • That rates as the worst film I've ever seen.

• 4 In Britain in the past, a building was rated to decide how much local tax the owner should pay.

• 5 used with words such as first, second, etc. to show how good you think something is:

  • His suggestions are always first-rate (= very good).

  • This company produces second/third-rate (= not very good) goods.

• 6 a measurement of the speed at which something happens or changes, or the number of times it happens or changes, within a particular period:

  • the rate of change/decay

  • rates of digestion/oxygenation

  • We have relatively low unemployment rates these days.

  • If we improve students’ self-esteem, we could reduce the dropout rate.

• 7 an amount or level of payment:

  • Interest rates may rise soon.

  • Rental rates vary depending on the size of the car.

• 8 to judge the value or worth of something:

  • [ T ] Half of those surveyed rated his work as good.

  • [ L ] The movie is rated R.

  • [ I ] Mark Twain has rated as an enduring author for 100 years.

• 9 the speed at which something happens:

  • at a fast/slow/steady rate The economy grew at a slower rate in the third quarter than previously estimated.

  • an alarming/incredible/surprising rate The future of the channel is under threat after losing viewers and advertisers at an alarming rate.

  • cut/reduce/slow down the rate The dip in consumer spending was a key factor in slowing down the rate of growth in the economy.

  • double/increase/speed up the rate of sth

  • improve/maintain the rate of sth

• 10 the amount of something, or the number of times something happens in a particular period:

  • at a rate of 20%/100 a day, etc.

  • The group's business plan shows it growing at its current rate for the next five years.

  • rising/falling rate The report examines the reasons for the rising rate of personal bankruptcy.

  • unemployment/jobless rate Economists predict that the unemployment rate will continue to rise over the next 12 months.

  • It is an area with high poverty and a high crime rate.

  • the birth/death/divorce rate

  • the failure/success rate

• 11 an amount of money that is charged or paid for a particular service:

  • cheap/competitive/reasonable rate The network offers the cheapest rates for mobile calls from abroad.

  • The survey found that the average rate of pay was $9.51 per hour for women and $12.95 for men.

  • charge/pay/set a rate We charge a rate of between €500 and €800 per day.

  • a daily/hourly/weekly rate

• 12 the amount that is charged as tax on income, interest on loans, etc., usually shown as a percentage:

  • a competitive/reduced/special rate Some internet banks offer personal loans at highly competitive rates.

  • falling/high/rising rate How much a bond fund falls in a rising rate environment depends on its duration.

  • a fall/rise/cut in the rate We are likely to see a rise in the rate of VAT.

  • an annual/monthly/quarterly rate

  • the loan/savings rate

  • a rate cut/increase/hike I think we need another rate increase to keep inflation down.

• 13 in the UK, a local tax paid for some public services:

  • The company was told it had to pay rates of £1,100 a year on the small piece of land.

• 14 to have, or be thought to have, a particular value or quality:

  • rate (sth) highly The broadband deal is rated highly in a survey by Which magazine.

  • The sector's most highly-rated analyst team advised investors to book profits.

  • rate (sth) as sth That must rate as one of the worst investments the company has ever made.

  • be rated a failure/success

• 15 to give something a particular value or position in a list, according to a set of standards:

  • The survey asked consumers to rate the elements that would most influence their purchasing decision.

  • be rated A/15/R, etc. This film is rated 18, and is for adults only.

• 16 to give something such as a piece of electrical equipment a number or letter that shows how powerful it is, how much electricity it uses, etc. so that consumers can compare products:

  • be rated A/B/X, etc. The washing machine is rated A for energy efficiency.

• 17 to give an investment a particular value after examining the level of risk involved:

  • be rated (as) investment grade/A/Triple A etc. Debt rated AA has a very strong capacity to pay interest and repay principal.

• 18 to advise investors to buy, keep, or sell particular shares or bonds

• 19 used with words such as first, second, etc. to show how good or bad you think something is:

  • first-/top-rate An innovative person with top-rate business credentials is needed to fill the position of executive director.