rate
[noun]
Synonyms:
- speed, pace, tempo, velocity
- degree, proportion, ratio, scale, standard
- charge, cost, fee, figure, price
- at any rate: in any case, anyhow, anyway, at all events
[verb]
Synonyms:
- evaluate, consider, count, estimate, grade, measure, rank, reckon, value
- deserve, be entitled to, be worthy of, merit

---

English Thesaurus: cost, price, value, charge, fee, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. rate¹ S1 W1 /reɪt/ noun [countable]
[Word Family: verb: rate, overrate ≠ UNDERRATE; noun: rate, rating; adjective: overrated ≠ underrated]
[Date: 1400-1500; Language: French; Origin: Medieval Latin rata, from Latin pro rata parte 'according to a fixed part', from ratus, past participle of reri 'to calculate']

1. NUMBER the number of times something happens, or the number of examples of something within a certain period
birth/unemployment/crime etc rate
Australia’s unemployment rate rose to 6.5% in February.
a rapid increase in the divorce rate
high/low rate of something
areas with high rates of crime
success/failure rate (=the number of times that something succeeds or fails)
It’s a new technique and the failure rate is quite high.
Immediately his heart rate (=the number of beats per minute) increased.
at a rate of something
Asylum seekers were entering Britain at a rate of 1,600 per day. ⇒ birthrate, death rate

2. MONEY a charge or payment that is set according to a standard scale
at (a) ... rate
people who pay tax at the highest rate
at a rate of something
They only pay tax at a rate of 5%.
interest/exchange/mortgage etc rate
another reduction in the mortgage rate
rate of pay/tax/interest etc
Nurses are demanding higher rates of pay.
special/reduced/lower rate
Some hotels offer special rates for children.
hourly/weekly rate (=the amount someone is paid per hour or week)
What’s the hourly rate for cleaning?
$20 an hour is the going rate (=the usual amount paid) for private tuition. ⇒ base rate, ⇒ cut-rate at cut-price, ⇒ exchange rate, interest rate, prime rate

3. SPEED the speed at which something happens over a period of time
rate of
an attempt to slow down the rate of economic growth
at (a) ... rate
Children learn at different rates.
Our money was running out at an alarming rate.
at a rate of something
Iceland is getting wider at a rate of about 0.5 cm per year.

4. at any rate spoken
a) used when you are stating one definite fact in a situation that is uncertain or unsatisfactory Synonym : anyway:
They’ve had technical problems – at any rate that’s what they told me.
b) used to introduce a statement that is more important than what was said before Synonym : anyway:
Well, at any rate, the next meeting will be on Wednesday.

5. at this rate spoken used to say what will happen if things continue to happen in the same way as now:
At this rate we won’t ever be able to afford a holiday.

6. first-rate/second-rate/third-rate of good, bad, or very bad quality:
a cheap third-rate motel

7. at a rate of knots British English informal very quickly:
Jack’s getting through the ironing at a rate of knots!

8. rates [plural] a local tax, paid before 1990 by owners of buildings in Britain

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. rate² verb
[Word Family: verb: rate, overrate ≠ UNDERRATE; noun: rate, rating; adjective: overrated ≠ underrated]

1.
a) [transitive] to think that someone or something has a particular quality, value, or standard:
The company seems to rate him very highly (=think he is very good).
be rated (as) something
Rhodes is currently rated the top junior player in the country.
b) [intransitive] to be considered as having a particular quality, value, or standard
rate as
That rates as one of the best meals I’ve ever had.

2. [transitive] British English informal if you rate someone or something, you think they are very good:
I never rated him.

3. rate sb’s chances (of doing something) British English spoken if you do not rate someone’s chances of achieving something, you do not think that it is likely that they will achieve it:
I don’t rate your chances of getting a ticket for the Leeds game.
How do you rate your chances tomorrow (=do you think you will be successful?)?

4. [transitive] informal especially American English to deserve something:
They rate a big thank-you for all their hard work.
a local incident that didn’t rate a mention in the national press

5. be rated G/U/PG/X etc if a film is rated G, U etc, it is officially judged to be suitable or unsuitable for people of a particular age to see ⇒ X-rated

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

rate
noun
I. speed/frequency
ADJ. constant, expected, regular, steady | slow the slow rate of change
fast, rapid | alarming, phenomenal The costs of the project are rising at an alarming rate.
low There is a low survival rate among babies born before 22 weeks.
high | ever-increasing, rocketing | seasonally-adjusted The seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate in December stood at 5%.
success | divorce, marriage | death, mortality | survival | birth, fertility | accident | crime | growth, inflation | metabolic, pulse, respiratory We need to eat less as we get older and our metabolic rate slows down.
VERB + RATE improve, increase, speed up | cut, hold down, reduce, slow down trying to hold down the rate of inflation
stabilize | maintain | increase
RATE + VERB be/go/shoot up, grow, increase, rise, rocket, skyrocket, soar | be/come/go down, decline, decrease, drop, fall, plummet, plunge, slow, slip
PREP. at a/the ~ The water was escaping at a rate of 200 gallons a minute.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

rate
II. amount of money paid
ADJ. competitive, cheap, low, moderate, reasonable We have a wide range of vehicles available for hire at competitive rates. Calls are cheap rate after 6 p.m.
extortionate, high | excellent, good | poor The account offers a poor rate of interest.
fixed, flat You can opt to pay a flat rate for unlimited Internet access.
usual | going I'll pay you at the going rate (= the present usual rate of payment).
variable | annual, hourly, weekly | base, basic, standard | top paying the top rate of tax
average | market current market rates for borrowing | group, preferential, reduced Ask about the special group rates for entrance to the house and gardens.
bank, exchange, interest, lending, mortgage, tax
VERB + RATE determine, fix, set | increase, lift, put up, raise | cut, lower, reduce | hold We will hold these rates until 1 April.
charge They charge the usual rate of interest.
pay | give (sb), offer (sb)
RATE + VERB go/shoot up, increase, rise Their hourly rates have gone up.
come/go down, drop | fluctuate Exchange rates are fluctuating wildly.
apply to sth Standard rates of interest apply to these loans.
PREP. at a/the ~ borrowing money at a high rate of interest
~ for the average rate for an unskilled worker
~ of an increase in the rate of taxation
PHRASES a drop in interest rates, a rise in mortgage rates, etc. a one-point rise in base lending rates | a rate of return safe investments which give a good rate of return
 ⇒ Note at PER CENT (for more verbs)

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

rate
verb
ADV. highly Silver was rated more highly than gold.
PREP. among a golf course that is rated among the top ten in America
as It is rated as one of the city's best hotels.
for a university that is highly rated for its research work

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

rate

high
Rates of adult illiteracy are still too high.
low
The hospital’s death rate is the lowest in the region.
a rising/falling rate
A falling mortality rate led to a gradual increase in the proportion of the aged in the population.
the unemployment rate
In April, the unemployment rate fell to 4.9 percent, a 23-year low.
the death/mortality rate
The death rate among the homeless is three times higher than the rest of the population.
the birth rate
In many developing countries, birth rates are falling.
the crime rate
Our crime rate is one of the lowest in the country.
the divorce rate
The UK has one of the highest divorce rates in Europe.
the success/failure rate
The success rate is still extremely low.
the survival rate
The survival rate of twins and triplets has increased in recent years.
sb’s heart/pulse rate (=the number of beats per minute)
A miner’s resting heart rate can be between 40 and 60 beats a minute.
metabolic rate (=the rate at which the body changes food into energy)
Metabolic rate rises with any form of activity.
the rate goes up (also the rate rises/increases more formal)
The crime rate just keeps going up.
the rate goes down (also the rate falls/decreases more formal)
We are expecting unemployment rates to fall.
high
You ought to switch to an account that pays a higher rate of interest.
low
Wage rates in the industry are still too low, he says.
a special/reduced rate (=a lower charge)
Reduced rates are available for groups of 10 or more visitors.
the hourly/weekly rate (=the amount someone is paid per hour or per week)
Women have lower hourly rates of pay than men.
the going rate (=the usual amount paid)
She could not afford to pay them the going rate.
a flat/fixed rate (=one that does not change)
Profits were taxed at a flat rate of 45 percent.
the interest rate (=the amount of interest charged on a loan or paid on savings)
Interest rates have remained high.
a mortgage rate (=the rate charged by a bank on a loan to buy a house)
Higher mortgage rates should slow down the rapid rise in house prices.
a tax rate
People objected to higher property tax rates.
the exchange rate (=the value of the money of one country compared to the money of another country)
the exchange rate between the dollar and sterling
the wage rate
What is the hourly wage rate?
the base rate British English (=the rate of interest set by the Bank of England, on which all British banks base their charges)
The interest charged on your overdraft changes in line with bank base rates.
the prime rate (=the lowest rate of interest at which companies can borrow money from a bank)
The amount above the prime rate is determined by the bank’s assessment of the risk involved in making the loan.
the rate of interest/pay/tax etc
They believe that Labour would raise the basic rate of tax.
at a rate of
Some customers are paying interest at a rate of over 15%.
raise/put up the rate
If the banks raise interest rates, this will reduce the demand for credit.
cut/reduce/lower a rate
The Halifax Building Society is to cut its mortgage rate by 0.7 percent.
a faster/slower rate
The urban population has grown at a faster rate than the rural population.
a rapid rate
The plant’s ability to thrive in these conditions is partly due to its rapid rate of growth.
an alarming rate
The alarming rate of increase in pollution levels has concerned environmentalists.
a tremendous/phenomenal rate
He started to produce movies at a tremendous rate.
an unprecedented rate (=a rate that is faster than ever before)
We are losing species at an unprecedented rate.
a constant/steady rate
The process takes place at a constant rate.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

cost the amount of money you need to buy or do something. Cost is usually used when talking in a general way about whether something is expensive or cheap rather than when talking about exact prices:
The cost of running a car is increasing.
the cost of raw materials
price the amount of money you must pay for something that is for sale:
They sell good-quality clothes at reasonable prices.
the price of a plane ticket to New York
value the amount of money that something is worth:
A new kitchen can increase the value of your home.
charge the amount that you have to pay for a service or to use something:
Hotel guests may use the gym for a small charge.
bank charges
fee the amount you have to pay to enter a place or join a group, or for the services of a professional person such as a lawyer or a doctor:
There is no entrance fee.
The membership fee is £125 a year.
legal fees
fare the amount you have to pay to travel somewhere by bus, plane, train etc:
I didn’t even have enough money for my bus fare.
fare increases
rent the amount you have to pay to live in or use a place that you do not own:
The rent on his apartment is $800 a month.
rate a charge that is set according to a standard scale:
Most TV stations offer special rates to local advertisers.
toll the amount you have to pay to travel on some roads or bridges:
You have to pay tolls on many French motorways.
cost a lot
Their hair products are really good but they cost a lot.
not cost much
Second hand clothes don’t cost much.
cost something per minute/hour/year etc
Calls cost only 2p per minute.
cost something per person
There’s a one-day course that costs £80 per person.
cost something per head (=per person)
The meal will cost about £20 per head.
not cost (somebody) a penny (=cost nothing)
Using the Internet, you can make phone calls that don’t cost a penny.
cost a fortune/cost the earth (=have a very high price)
If you use a lawyer, it will cost you a fortune.
cost a bomb/a packet British English (=have a very high price)
He has a new sports car that must have cost a bomb.
cost an arm and a leg (=have a price that is much too high)
A skiing holiday needn’t cost you an arm and a leg.
be especially spoken to cost a particular amount of money:
These shoes were only £5.
be priced at something to have a particular price – used when giving the exact price that a shop or company charges for something:
Tickets are priced at $20 for adults and $10 for kids.
retail at something to be sold in shops at a particular price – used especially in business:
The scissors retail at £1.99 in department stores.
sell/go for something used for saying what people usually pay for something:
Houses in this area sell for around £200,000.
fetch used for saying what people pay for something, especially at a public sale:
The painting fetched over $8,000 at auction.
A sports car built for Mussolini is expected to fetch nearly £1 million at auction.
set somebody back something informal to cost someone a lot of money:
A good set of speakers will set you back around £150.
come to if a bill comes to a particular amount, it adds up to that amount:
The bill came to £100 between four of us.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

rent to pay money to use a house, room, vehicle, piece of equipment, area of land etc:
He rented a room in a house on the Old Kent Road.
They flew out to New York and rented a car at the airport.
hire British English to pay money to use a car or a piece of clothing or equipment for a short period of time:
Why don't we hire a van for the day?
You can hire suits for weddings.
lease to have a legal agreement under which you pay money to a person or company in order to use a building, area of land, vehicle, piece of equipment etc for a fixed period of time :
They leased the offices from an American company.
The car is leased from BMW.
rent/rent something out to allow someone to use a house, room, vehicle, piece of equpiment, area of land etc in return for money:
She rents the flat out to students.
let/let something out to allow someone to use a room, house, building etc in return for money:
Some people don't want to let rooms to foreigners.
They let the house out while they were on holiday.
lease/lease something out to make a legal agreement which allows a person or company to use something that you own for a fixed period of time:
Santa Clara ' s Redevelopment Agency leased the existing city golf course to developers.
high
Rents in the city centre are very high.
low
Our workers get low rents and other advantages.
exorbitant (=extremely high)
Some landlords charge exorbitant rents.
fixed
The rent is fixed for three years.
affordable (=which people can easily pay)
The government plans to provide more homes at affordable rents.
the annual/monthly/weekly rent
Our annual rent is just over $15000.
ground rent British English (=rent paid to the owner of the land that a house, office etc is built on)
There is an additional ground rent of £30 per month.
a peppercorn rent British English (=an extremely low rent)
The colonel let us have the cottage for a peppercorn rent.
back rent (=rent you owe for an earlier period)
Mrs Carr said she is still owed several thousand dollars in back rent.
the rent is due (=it must be paid at a particular time)
The rent is due at the beginning of the week.
pay the rent
She couldn’t afford to pay the rent.
increase/raise the rent (also put up the rent British English)
The landlord wants to put up the rent.
fall behind with the rent/get behind on the rent (=fail to pay your rent on time)
You could be evicted if you fall behind with the rent.
collect the rent
His job is to collect the rents from the tenants.
the rent increases/goes up
The rent has gone up by over 50% in the last two years.
a rent increase
How can they justify such big rent increases?
rent arrears British English (=money that you owe because you have not paid your rent)
The most common debts were rent arrears.
a rent book British English (=a book that shows the payments you have made in rent)
cost the amount of money you need to buy or do something. Cost is usually used when talking in a general way about whether something is expensive or cheap rather than when talking about exact prices:
The cost of running a car is increasing.
the cost of raw materials
price the amount of money you must pay for something that is for sale:
They sell good-quality clothes at reasonable prices.
the price of a plane ticket to New York
value the amount of money that something is worth:
A new kitchen can increase the value of your home.
charge the amount that you have to pay for a service or to use something:
Hotel guests may use the gym for a small charge.
bank charges
fee the amount you have to pay to enter a place or join a group, or for the services of a professional person such as a lawyer or a doctor:
There is no entrance fee.
The membership fee is £125 a year.
legal fees
fare the amount you have to pay to travel somewhere by bus, plane, train etc:
I didn’t even have enough money for my bus fare.
fare increases
rate a charge that is set according to a standard scale:
Most TV stations offer special rates to local advertisers.
toll the amount you have to pay to travel on some roads or bridges:
You have to pay tolls on many French motorways.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

rate
̈ɪreɪt
See: at any rate , first rate

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲