What does "rate" mean?
The worth of something; value.
Rate
/ɹeɪt/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The worth of something; value.
- Grammar: rate is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: pace, abuse, account, ad valorem duty.
- Useful contrasts: disapproval, disregard, ignore.
- Usage evidence: At this rate, we're not likely to be done before the end of the week.
How to use "rate"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "rate" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "rate" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "rate" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "rate" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "rate" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "pace" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "rate", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The worth of something; value. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"There shall no figure at such rate be set, / As that of true and faithfull Iuliet."
- 2 the relative speed of progress or change wordnet
- 3 The proportional relationship between one amount, value etc. and another. countable, uncountable
"At the height of his powers, he was producing pictures at the rate of four a year."
- 4 amount of a charge or payment relative to some basis wordnet
- 5 Speed. countable, uncountable
"The car was speeding down here at a hell of a rate."
Show 12 more definitions
- 6 a quantity or amount or measure considered as a proportion of another quantity or amount or measure wordnet
- 7 The relative speed of change or progress. countable, uncountable
"The rate of production at the factory is skyrocketing."
- 8 a magnitude or frequency relative to a time unit wordnet
- 9 The price of (an individual) thing; cost. countable, uncountable
"He asked quite a rate to take me to the airport."
- 10 A set price or charge for all examples of a given case, commodity, service etc. countable, uncountable
"Postal rates here are low."
- 11 A wage calculated in relation to a unit of time. countable, uncountable
"We pay an hourly rate of between $10 – $15 per hour depending on qualifications and experience."
- 12 Any of various taxes, especially those levied by a local authority. countable, uncountable
"I hardly have enough left every month to pay the rates."
- 13 A class into which ships were assigned based on condition, size etc.; by extension, rank. countable, uncountable
"This textbook is first-rate."
- 14 Established portion or measure; fixed allowance; ration. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"The one right feeble through the evil rate / Of food which in her duress she had found."
- 15 Order; arrangement. obsolete, uncountable
"Thus sat they all around in seemly rate."
- 16 Ratification; approval. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"c. 1610s, George Chapman, Caesar and Pompey Tis offerd, Sir, 'boue the rate of Caesar In other men, but in what I approue Beneath his merits: which I will not faile T'enforce at full to Pompey, nor forget In any time the gratitude of my seruice."
- 17 The gain or loss of a timepiece in a unit of time. countable, uncountable
"daily rate; hourly rate; etc."
Verb
- 1 To assign or be assigned a particular rank or level. transitive
"She is rated fourth in the country."
- 2 To berate, scold. obsolete, transitive
"Then rated they hym, and sayde: Thou arte hys disciple."
- 3 To cause (hay, hemp, flax, etc) to decay (whether in an injurious way, or—as retting—in a useful way) by exposure to weather, particularly wetness. UK, dialectal, obsolete
"From the "line pit" it [flax] is carried to the “RATING GROUND;" - a piece of unbroken aftergrass, where the sheaflets are untied, and the flax spread thin upon the grass. It is calculated, that a full crop ought to cover as much ground as it grew upon. Here it lies until it be sufficiently "rated;" namely, until the more woodlike substance of the stems will separate […]"
- 4 assign a rank or rating to wordnet
- 5 To evaluate or estimate the value of. transitive
"They rate his talents highly."
Show 12 more definitions
- 6 estimate the value of wordnet
- 7 To consider or regard. transitive
"He rated this book brilliant."
- 8 be worthy of or have a certain rating wordnet
- 9 To deserve; to be worth. transitive
"The view here hardly rates a mention in the travel guide."
- 10 To determine the limits of safe functioning for a machine or electrical device. transitive
"The transformer is rated at 10 watts."
- 11 To evaluate a property's value for the purposes of local taxation. British, transitive
- 12 To like; to think highly of. informal, transitive
"The customers don't rate the new burgers."
- 13 To take action to slow down the pace of the horse one is riding. transitive
"Throughout the first turn is where the jockey rates the horse if the need arises. Rating a horse is where you keep it from putting out too much too soon."
- 14 To have position (in a certain class). intransitive
"She rates among the most excellent chefs in the world."
- 15 To have value or standing. intransitive
"This last performance of hers didn't rate very high with the judges."
- 16 To ratify. transitive
"to rate the truce"
- 17 To ascertain the exact rate of the gain or loss of (a chronometer) as compared with true time. transitive
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"At this rate, we're not likely to be done before the end of the week."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "rate"?
Common synonyms include: pace, abuse, account, ad valorem duty, adjudicate, adjudicates.
How do you use "rate" in a sentence?
At this rate, we're not likely to be done before the end of the week.
How do you pronounce "rate"?
Pronounced /ɹeɪt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English rate, from Old French rate, from Medieval Latin rata, from Latin prō ratā parte (“according to a fixed part”), from ratus (“fixed”), from rērī (“think, deem, judge, estimate", originally "reckon, calculate”).
Etymology 2
From Middle English raten (“to scold, chide”), from Old Norse hrata (“to refuse, reject, slight, find fault with”), from Proto-Germanic *hratōną (“to sway, shake”), from Proto-Indo-European *krad- (“to swing”). Cognate with Swedish rata (“to reject, refuse, find fault, slight”), Norwegian rata (“to reject, cast aside”), Old English hratian (“to rush, hasten”).
Etymology 3
Related to, or a variant of, ret. (Found dialectally also as rait.)