rate

Fetched 2026-10-27 (live).

Datamuse reports no synonyms or antonyms for this word.

Noun

1. The worth of something; value. .mw-parser-output .defdate{font-size:smaller}
2. The proportional relationship between one amount, value etc. and another.
   • At the height of his powers, he was producing pictures at the rate of four a year.
3. Speed.
   • The car was speeding down here at a hell of a rate.
4. The relative speed of change or progress.
   • The rate of production at the factory is skyrocketing.
5. The price of (an individual) thing; cost.
   • He asked quite a rate to take me to the airport.
6. A set price or charge for all examples of a given case, commodity, service etc.
   • Postal rates here are low.
7. A wage calculated in relation to a unit of time.
   • We pay an hourly rate of between $10 – $15 per hour depending on qualifications and experience.
8. Any of various taxes, especially those levied by a local authority.
   • I hardly have enough left every month to pay the rates.
9. A class into which ships were assigned based on condition, size etc.; by extension, rank.
   • This textbook is first-rate.
10. Established portion or measure; fixed allowance; ration.
11. Order; arrangement.
12. Ratification; approval.
13. The gain or loss of a timepiece in a unit of time.
    • daily rate; hourly rate; etc.

Verb

1. To assign or be assigned a particular rank or level.
   • She is rated fourth in the country.
2. To evaluate or estimate the value of.
   • They rate his talents highly.
3. To consider or regard.
   • He rated this book brilliant.
4. To deserve; to be worth.
   • The view here hardly rates a mention in the travel guide.
5. To determine the limits of safe functioning for a machine or electrical device.
   • The transformer is rated at 10 watts.
6. To evaluate a property's value for the purposes of local taxation.
7. To like; to think highly of.
   • The customers don't rate the new burgers.
8. To take action to slow down the pace of the horse one is riding.
9. To have position (in a certain class).
   • She rates among the most excellent chefs in the world.
   • He rates as the best cyclist in the country.
10. To have value or standing.
    • This last performance of hers didn't rate very high with the judges.
11. To ratify.
12. To ascertain the exact rate of the gain or loss of (a chronometer) as compared with true time.

Verb

1. To berate, scold.

Verb

1. 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.

Source: Wiktionary · CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wiktionary) · cached copy, not a rewrite.