Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense rates, present participle rating, past tense, past participle rated
1. countable noun
The rate at which something happens is the speed with which it happens.
The rate at which hair grows can be agonisingly slow.
The world's tropical forests are disappearing at an even faster rate than expertshad thought.
Synonyms: speed, pace, tempo, velocity More Synonyms of rate
2. countable noun
The rate at which something happens is the number of times it happens over a period of time or in a particular group.
New diet books appear at a rate of nearly one a week. [+ of]
His heart rate was 30 beats per minute slower.
The country has the world's sixth highest unemployment rate.
3. countable noun
A rate is the amount of money that is charged for goods or services.
Calls cost 36p per minute cheap rate and 48p at all other times.
...specially reduced rates for travellers using Gatwick Airport.
After the age of 35, we start losing muscle at the rate of half a pound a year.
4. See also exchange rate
5. countable noun
The rate of taxation or interest is the amount of tax or interest that needs to be paid. It is expressed as a percentage of the amount that is earned, gained as profit, or borrowed.
[business]
The government insisted that it would not be panicked into interest rate cuts.
6. verb [no cont]
If you rate someone or something as good or bad, you consider them to be good or bad. You can also say that someone or something rates as good or bad.
Of all the men in the survey, they rate themselves the most responsible. [VERB noun adjective]
The film was rated excellent by 90 per cent of children. [VERB noun adjective]
Most rated it a hit. [VERB noun noun]
We rate him as one of the best. [VERB noun + as]
She rated the course highly. [VERB noun adverb]
Reading books does not rate highly among Britons as a leisure activity. [V adv prep]
...the most highly rated player in English football. [VERB-ed]
Synonyms: evaluate, consider, rank, reckon More Synonyms of rate
7. verb
If you rate someone or something, you think that they are good.
[mainly British, informal]
It's flattering to know that other clubs have shown interest and seem to rate me. [VERB noun]
Its artistic value failed to move Paddy Clegg. 'I don't know what all the fuss isabout. I didn't rate it at all,' he said. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: think highly of, value, respect, admire More Synonyms of rate
8. passive verb [no cont]
If someone or something is rated at a particular position or rank, they are calculated or considered to be in thatposition on a list.
He is generally rated Italy's No. 3 industrialist. [beVERB-ed noun]
He came here rated 100th on the tennis computer. [beV-ed ord]
9. verb [no cont]
If you say that someone or something rates a particular reaction, you mean that this is the reaction you consider to be appropriate.
Their national golf championship barely rated a mention. [VERB noun]
In those crowded streets her attire did not rate a second glance. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: deserve, merit, be entitled to, be worthy of More Synonyms of rate
10. See also rating
11.
See at any rate
12.
See at any rate
13.
See at this rate
More Synonyms of rate
rate in British English1
(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.
a.
a price or charge with reference to a standard or scale
rate of interest
rate of discount
b.
(as modifier)
a rate card
3.
a charge made per unit for a commodity, service, etc
4. 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.
a.
relative quality; class or grade
b.
(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. at any rate
verb(mainly tr)
11. (also intr)
to assign or receive a position on a scale of relative values; rank
she is rated fifth in the world
12.
to estimate the value of; evaluate
we rate your services highly
13.
to be worthy of; deserve
this hotel does not rate four stars
14.
to consider; regard
I rate them among my friends
15. British
to assess the value of (property) for the purpose of local taxation
16. slang
to think highly of
the clients do not rate the new system
Word origin
C15: from Old French, from Medieval Latin rata, from Latin prō ratā parte according to a fixed proportion, from ratus fixed, from rērī to think, decide
rate in British English2
(reɪt)
verb
(transitive)
to scold or criticize severely; rebuke harshly
Word origin
C14: perhaps related to Swedish rata to chide
rate in American English1
(reɪt)
noun
1.
the amount, degree, etc. of anything in relation to units of something else
the rate of pay per month, rate of speed per hour
2.
a fixed ratio; proportion
3.
a price or value; specif., the cost per unit of some commodity, service, etc.
insurance rate
4.
speed of movement or action
to read at a moderate rate
5.
the amount of time gained or lost by a timepiece within a specified period
6. Rare
a class or rank
of the first rate
7. British
a local property tax
usually used in pl.
8. Obsolete
amount; quantity
9. US Navy
the grade of a petty officer within a rating
the sailor's rate is Quartermaster first class
verb transitiveWord forms: ˈrated or ˈrating
10.
to estimate the value, worth, strength, capacity, etc. of; appraise
11.
a.
to put into a particular class or rank
b. US Navy
to assign a rate to
12.
to consider; esteem
they are rated among the best
13.
to fix or determine the rates for
14. Informal
to deserve
to rate an increase
verb intransitive
15.
to be classed or ranked
16.
to have value, status, or rating
SIMILAR WORDS: ˈestiˌmate
Idioms:
at any rate
Word origin
OFr < L rata (pars), reckoned (part), fem. of ratus, pp. of reri, to reckon < IE *rē-, var. of base *ar-, to fit, join > UNRESOLVED CROSS REF, order
rate in American English2
(reɪt)
verb transitive, verb intransitiveWord forms: ˈrated or ˈrating
to scold severely; chide
Word origin
ME raten < ? OFr reter, to blame, accuse < L reputare, to count: see repute
More idioms containing
rate
at a rate of knots
Examples of 'rate' in a sentence
rate
The sergeant must have told him what was happening, or what little he knew, at any rate.
Jennifer Fallon TREASON KEEP (2001)
Last year in the Financial District the rate was forty dollars a square foot.
Stuart Harrison BETTER THAN THIS (2001)
I haven't the time to waste dragging her to Hythria by force, at any rate.
Jennifer Fallon TREASON KEEP (2001)
More than that, a small cave - or at any rate, a cave with a small entrance.
Laurie R. King FOLLY (2001)
In other languages
rate
British English: rate /reɪt/ NOUN
The rate at which something happens is the speed or frequency with which it happens.
...the rate at which hair grows.
American English: rate
Arabic: مُعَدِّل
Brazilian Portuguese: velocidade medida
Chinese: 比率
Croatian: stopa
Czech: rychlost
Danish: hastighed
Dutch: snelheid
European Spanish: ritmo velocidad
Finnish: tahti
French: taux
German: Rate
Greek: ρυθμός ταχύτητα
Italian: tasso
Japanese: 割合
Korean: 비율
Norwegian: takt
Polish: tempo
European Portuguese: velocidade medida
Romanian: viteza
Russian: норма
Latin American Spanish: ritmo índice, porcentaje
Swedish: hastighet
Thai: อัตรา
Turkish: oran
Ukrainian: швидкість
Vietnamese: tốc độ
British English: rate /reɪt/ VERB
If you rate someone or something as good or bad, you consider them to be good or bad.
The film was rated excellent.
American English: rate
Arabic: يُقَدِّرُ
Brazilian Portuguese: classificar
Chinese: 评估
Croatian: ocijeniti
Czech: pokládat za dobré/špatné
Danish: vurdere som
Dutch: beoordelen
European Spanish: considerar juzgar
Finnish: luokitella
French: classer noter
German: bewerten
Greek: αποτιμώ
Italian: valutare
Japanese: 評価する
Korean: 평가하다
Norwegian: vurdere
Polish: ocenić
European Portuguese: classificar
Romanian: a cota
Russian: оценивать
Latin American Spanish: considerar valorar
Swedish: klassa
Thai: ประเมิน
Turkish: oranlamak
Ukrainian: оцінювати
Vietnamese: đánh giá
All related terms of 'rate'
bank rate
The bank rate is the rate of interest at which a bank lends money , especially the minimum rate of interest that banks are allowed to charge , which is decided by the country's central bank.
base rate
In Britain , the base rate is the rate of interest that banks use as a basis when they are calculating the rates that they charge on loans .
baud rate
a rate of data transmission measured in baud
bit rate
the rate of flow of binary digits in a digital data-processing system, usually expressed as the number of bits per second
burn rate
The burn rate of a startup company is a measure of how fast it uses up its capital before becoming profitable .
call rate
the interest rate on a call loan
cut-rate
Cut-rate goods or services are cheaper than usual .
flat rate
a rate or charge that does not vary , being the same in all situations
hit rate
level of success in shooting accurately at targets
peak rate
the maximum tariff of charge, esp of phone calls made at particular times
poor rate
a rate or tax levied by parishes for the relief or support of the poor
rack rate
The rack rate is the normal price of a hotel room, before any discount .
rate base
a guaranteed minimum amount or number used to compute advertising rates , as the number of subscribers to a publication
rate-cap
In Britain, when a local council was rate-capped , the government prevented it from increasing local taxes called rates, in order to force the council to reduce its spending or make it more efficient .
rate card
a list showing the rates charged by a magazine , newspaper , radio or television station , etc., for various types of advertising
rate tart
a credit card holder , bank account holder, etc, who frequently and purposefully changes providers to take advantage of low interest rate offers intended to attract new customers
slew rate
the rate at which an electronic amplifier can respond to an abrupt change of input level
spot rate
in a foreign currency transaction , the rate of exchange at which the transaction will be made on a specified date
tax rate
the percentage of income , wealth , etc, assessed as payable in taxation
VAT rate
the rate at which VAT is applied
zero-rate
to rate at a VAT level of zero
basic rate
the standard or lowest level on a scale of money payable , esp in taxation
birth rate
The birth rate in a place is the number of babies born there for every 1000 people during a particular period of time.
capped-rate
having a fixed upper limit
cheap-rate
charged at a lower rate
coupon rate
The coupon rate is the interest rate on a bond calculated on the number of coupons per year.
cross rate
A cross rate is an exchange rate of two currencies expressed in a third different currency, such as the exchange rate between the euro and the yuan expressed in yen .
death rate
The death rate is the number of people per thousand who die in a particular area during a particular period of time.
dollar rate
a variable amount of foreign currency quoted against one unit of the US Dollar
first-rate
If you say that something or someone is first-rate , you mean that they are extremely good and of the highest quality.
fixed rate
A fixed rate is an interest rate that is set to remain the same for the term of a loan .
fleet rate
a reduced rate quoted by an insurance company to underwrite the risks to a fleet of vehicles , aircraft , etc
fourth-rate
of very low quality, value, or rank
heart rate
the rate at which your heart beats
higher rate
(in Britain) a rate of income tax that is higher than the basic rate and becomes payable on taxable income in excess of a specified limit
hurdle rate
the rate of return that a proposed project must provide if it is to be worth considering: usually calculated as the cost of the capital involved adjusted by a risk factor
lapse rate
the rate of change of any meteorological factor with altitude , esp atmospheric temperature , which usually decreases at a rate of 0.6° C per 100 metres ( environmental lapse rate ). Unsaturated air loses about 1°C per 100 m ( dry adiabatic lapse rate ), whereas saturated air loses an average 0.5°C per 100 m ( saturated adiabatic lapse rate )
piece rate
a fixed rate paid according to the quantity produced
prime rate
A bank's prime rate is the lowest rate of interest which it charges at a particular time and which is offered only to certain customers .
pulse rate
the rate at which a person's heart beats , measured at a pulse point
rate-capped
(formerly in Britain) to impose on (a local authority) an upper limit on the level of the rate it may levy
rate rebate
(formerly) a reduction in the amount of rates that a person had to pay
second-rate
If you describe something as second-rate , you mean that it is of poor quality.
short rate
a charge, proportionately higher than the annual rate , made for insurance issued or continued in force by the insured for less than one year
spring rate
The spring rate is a measurement of the amount of force needed to compress a spring a particular distance .
teaser rate
A teaser rate is a low introductory interest rate on credit that goes up after a short time.
third-rate
If you describe something as third-rate , you mean that it is of a very poor quality or standard.
union rate
an hourly wage rate for an occupation or trade, established by collective bargaining. Usually it is the minimum rate that can be paid to qualified people in the job
water rate
In Britain , the charges made for the use of water from the public water supply are known as the water rates .
absentee rate
the percentage of people who are absent each day from a school or company
Chinese translation of 'rate'
rate
(reɪt)
n(c)
(= speed) 速率 (sùlǜ)
(= level)[of interest, taxation, inflation]率 (lǜ)
(= ratio) 比率 (bǐlǜ)
vt
(= value) 评(評)价(價) (píngjià)
(= estimate) 评(評)估 (pínggū)
(= price) 对(對) ... 估价(價) (duì ... gūjià)
at a rate of 60 kph以每小时(時)60公里的速度 (yǐ měi xiǎoshí liùshí gōnglǐ de sùdù)
rate of growth (Fin) 增长(長)率 (zēngzhǎnglǜ)
rate of return (Fin) 回报(報)率 (huíbàolǜ)
at this/that rate照这(這)种(種)/那种(種)情况(況)继(繼)续(續) (zhào zhèzhǒng/nàzhǒng qíngkuàng jìxù)
at any rate (= at least) 无(無)论(論)如何 (wúlùn rúhé)
to rate sb/sth as把某人/某事物评(評)价(價)成 (bǎ mǒurén/mǒu shìwù píngjiàchéng)
to rate sb/sth as sth把某人/某事物评(評)为(為)某事物 (bǎ mǒurén/mǒu shìwù píngwéi mǒu shìwù)
to rate sb/sth among把某人/某事物归(歸)类(類)于(於) (bǎ mǒurén/mǒu shìwù guīlèiyú)
to rate sb/sth highly给(給)某人/某事物高度评(評)价(價) (gěi mǒurén/mǒu shìwù gāodù píngjià)