From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishraterate1 /reɪt/ ●●● S1 W1 noun [countable] 1 numberAMOUNT the number of times something happens, or the number of examples of something within a certain periodbirth/unemployment/crime etc rate Australia’s unemployment rate rose to 6.5% in February. a rapid increase in the divorce ratehigh/low rate of something areas with high rates of crimesuccess/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 rate2 moneyCOST a charge or payment that is set according to a standard scaleat (a) ... rate people who pay tax at the highest rateat a rate of something They only pay tax at a rate of 5%.interest/exchange/mortgage etc rate another reduction in the mortgage raterate 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► see thesaurus at cost3 speedSPEED the speed at which something happens over a period of timerate of an attempt to slow down the rate of economic growthat (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 rate5 → at this rate6 → first-rate/second-rate/third-rate7 → at a rate of knots8 → ratesCOLLOCATIONS – Meaning 1: the number of times something happens, or the number of examples of something within a certain periodADJECTIVES/NOUN + rate highRates of adult illiteracy are still too high.lowThe hospital’s death rate is the lowest in the region.a rising/falling rateA falling mortality rate led to a gradual increase in the proportion of the aged in the population.the unemployment rateIn April, the unemployment rate fell to 4.9 percent, a 23-year low.the death/mortality rateThe death rate among the homeless is three times higher than the rest of the population.the birth rateIn many developing countries, birth rates are falling. the crime rateOur crime rate is one of the lowest in the country.the divorce rateThe UK has one of the highest divorce rates in Europe.the success/failure rateThe success rate is still extremely low.the survival rateThe survival rate of twins and triplets has increased in recent years.somebody’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.verbsthe 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. COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 2: a charge or payment that is set according to a standard scaleadjectiveshighYou ought to switch to an account that pays a higher rate of interest.lowWage 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 ratePeople 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 sterlingthe wage rateWhat 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.phrasesthe rate of interest/pay/tax etcThey believe that Labour would raise the basic rate of tax.at a rate ofSome customers are paying interest at a rate of over 15%.verbsraise/put up the rateIf the banks raise interest rates, this will reduce the demand for credit.cut/reduce/lower a rateThe Halifax Building Society is to cut its mortgage rate by 0.7 percent. COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 3: the speed at which something happens over a period of timeadjectivesa faster/slower rateThe urban population has grown at a faster rate than the rural population.a rapid rateThe plant’s ability to thrive in these conditions is partly due to its rapid rate of growth.an alarming rateThe alarming rate of increase in pollution levels has concerned environmentalists.a tremendous/phenomenal rateHe 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 rateThe process takes place at a constant rate.
Examples from the Corpus
rate• equipment that can load ships at a rate of 5000 tonnes a day• Our money was running out at an alarming rate.• At any rate, the boat was scuttled, and there were stains on it that they thought were bloodstains.• Nassau now has the third highest crime rate in the world.• Now more companies issue cards and many are willing to cut rates or waive annual fees to snare each others' customers.• Individual children develop physically and emotionally at different rates.• Sir Robin said foreign-exchange gains were helped by sterling's departure from the exchange rate mechanism.• The water was thick and brown and went down through the top end of Spaladale at a fearful rate.• There is a fixed rate for the job, regardless of how long it takes.• £150 is the going rate for tickets for the concert.• Hotel rates advertised are per person, not per room.• Our shop assistants are paid an hourly rate of £5.50• Pay determination is also hampered by such factors as inflation rates and currency fluctuations against the pound.• The State Bank charges lower rates on personal loans.• We are able to offer a whole range of services at very reasonable rates.• The amount of light available will determine the plant's rate of growth.• Class 1 contributions are paid by workers in employment and are deducted from their pay at the statutory rates.• Penicillin has a high success rate in treating bacterial infections.• Refugees were crossing the border at the rate of 1000 a day.• Prisoners escaped from the center at the rate of one every five days.• There is a 40% unemployment rate in the region.• While rates on Treasury securities plunged last year, the Federal Reserve resisted calls for large cuts in the rates it controls.birth/unemployment/crime etc rate• He arrives in the County to face a crime rate rising at more than 32 percent a year.• Even to suggest that efforts he made to expand the labor force by increasing the domestic birth rate would seem slightly artful.• Massachusetts' unemployment rate rose to 5. 2 percent in December from 5. 1 percent in November.• The use of unemployment rates as a criterion of the effectiveness of regional policies is of limited value.• What was formerly the target unemployment rate has been abandoned in favour of a new, higher rate.• So the unemployment rate may be 5 percent.• The birth rate also continued to decline, though most slowly among the poorest.• The unemployment rate has been well under 6 percent for more than two years now.at (a) ... rate• To get the clean price we subtract the interest that has been accruing at the rate of d percent up to that day.• Where Miss Cara Adeane's concerned, at any rate.• Anything higher tends to increase the debt at a compound rate.• The bank may lend money on a short-term note at a fixed interest rate.• Double this rate would allow the total amount of depreciation to be written off at the rate of 40 percent per year.• Due to the brevity of this period a neurone can send action potentials at a rate of up to 1000 per second.• Skiers and snowboarders injure themselves at a rate of 2. 5 people per 1,000, he said.• And pensions have not been going up at the same rate as the cost of living. rate of• We were both traveling at the same rate of speed.raterate2 ●○○ verb 1 a) THINK/HAVE THE OPINION THAT[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]THINK/HAVE THE OPINION THAT to be considered as having a particular quality, value, or standardrate as That rates as one of the best meals I’ve ever had.2 GOOD/EXCELLENT[transitive] British English informal if you rate someone or something, you think they are very good I never rated him.3 → rate somebody’s chances (of doing something)4 [transitive] informal especially American EnglishDESERVE 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 press5 → be rated G/U/PG/X etc→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
rate• Our restaurant didn't even rate a mention in Beck's guide.• Production becomes more important to the leader as his or her rating advances on the horizontal scale.• Not all the celebrities rated badly however.• Obviously, we can not rate course we do not play, but that does not mean that they are bad courses.• But the experts rated Reno seventh for implementing the Clinton agenda.• Internet Explorer and Netscape, for example, can restrict access according to a rating system.• It is also rated the most competitive newly-industrialised economy by the World Competitiveness Report.rate ... highly• Even teenagers, often difficult to entertain, rate it highly.• Mozart didn't rate his playing highly.• The first attempt at integration through modules, and one that I rate extremely highly against all comers, is Smart.• This month's choice in particular rates very highly among my all-time favourites.• They don't rate freedom especially highly and their drinking habits are the most modest in our sample.• Like Kev says I rate him highly both as a defender and a motivator.• Their efforts were rated very highly by the Telegraph judges.• Statewide, 66 percent of men rated Bush highly, compared with 47 percent among women.From Longman Business Dictionaryraterate1 /reɪt/ noun [countable]1a charge or payment fixed according to a standard scaleWe have advised (=informed) our client of your hourly rate.The councils have powers to set minimum rates of pay.I’m told $25 an hour is the going rate (=the usual amount paid) for private tuition.2the number of examples of something or the number of times something happens, often expressed as a percentageCanada’s unemployment rate rose to 8.3% of the working population in August.The pension finding service has an 87% success rate.The failure rate of small businesses is notoriously high.3the speed at which something happensCompanies have been going out of business at an incredible rate (=very fast).4 (also tax rate)TAX the part of your income or the part of the price of something that you pay in taxThose who earn $180,000 to $280,000 will see their tax rates drop to 31% from 33% this year.5 (also interest rate)FINANCEBANKING the percentage charged for borrowing money, or a percentage you receive when you put money in a bank, make an investment etcInterest rates are falling and now is the time to buy property.The rate on the bank’s standard credit cards will be 18.9%.Mortgage rates will fall; corporate bond rates will fall; municipal bonds rates will also fall.the most recent changes in the short and long rates (=the rates for borrowing over short and long periods of time) 6 (also insurance rate)INSURANCE the amount you have to pay for insuranceWomen drivers get cheaper insurance rates because their accident records are better.7a payment for a public service, usually based on the value of the property owned by the person who uses the servicea non-domestic water rate of 3.4 pence in the poundraterate2 verb1[transitive] to think that someone or something has a particular quality, value, or standardbe rated (as) somethingThe Salzburg Sheraton is rated as one of the city’s best hotels.His employer rates him very highly.2[intransitive, transitive] to be considered as having a particular quality, value, or standardrate asIt rates as one of the most comfortable PC keyboards I’ve tried.The SLR can hardly be rated as a precision piece of equipment.3[transitive]FINANCE to measure the risk of investing in or lending to a company, local authority etcMoody’s Investors Service Inc. has rated the bonds single-A-1.Richard Simon of Goldman Sachs has rated Paramount stock a ‘hold’ for the past year. —rated adjective [not before a noun]The bonds are insured and triple-A-rated.4[transitive] to measure the performance of a ship or machine so it can be put in a particular class —rated adjectiveEach machine has a rated capacity of (=ability to produce) 600 tonnes per hour.→ See Verb tableOrigin rate1 (1400-1500) French Medieval Latin rata, from Latin pro rata parte “according to a fixed part”, from ratus, past participle of reri “to calculate” 