rating

noun

rat·​ing ˈrā-tiŋ 

1

: a classification according to grade

specifically : a military or naval specialist classification

2

chiefly British : a naval enlisted man

3

a

: relative estimate or evaluation : standing

the school has a good academic rating

b

: an estimate of an individual's or business's credit and responsibility

c

: an estimate of the percentage of the public listening to or viewing a particular radio or television program

4

: a stated operating limit of a machine expressible in power units (such as kilowatts of a direct-current generator) or in characteristics (such as voltage)

Examples of rating in a Sentence

The school has an above-average academic rating.

The article compares the fuel-economy ratings of various cars.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Republican Party’s net favorability rating is negative 11, with 41 percent viewing them favorably and 52 percent unfavorably. —Sarah Fortinsky, The Hill, 3 Apr. 2025

While shares have tumbled more than 24% year to date, most analysts have a buy rating and the average price target implies shares can rally nearly 50%, per LSEG. —Alex Harring, CNBC, 2 Apr. 2025

The comforter has hundreds of perfect ratings from Amazon shoppers. —Melony Forcier, People.com, 2 Apr. 2025

Today's ratings are largely on par with those in 2014, when CBS News last asked about this, weeks after the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. —Jennifer De Pinto, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1702, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing rating

• approval rating
• credit rating
• Q rating
• self-rating

Rhymes for rating

• baiting
• bating
• crating
• dating
• freighting
• gating
• grating
• hating
• mating
• plaiting
• plating
• prating

Kids Definition

rating

noun

rat·​ing

ˈrāt-iŋ

: a position within a grading system

credit rating