rating

noun

rat·​ing ˈrā-tiŋ 

1

: a classification according to grade

specifically : a military or naval specialist classification

2

chiefly British : an enlisted sailor

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

Those sites would have alerted me to our first agency's low ratings. — Kim Clark, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026

The projections are a combination of the current Maxwell ratings and actual scoring patterns. — Loren Maxwell, AJC.com, 12 Aug. 2026

Of the 14 analysts covering JOYY, 12 have a buy or strong buy rating on the stock, LSEG data shows. — Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 12 Aug. 2026

First up for the chairman at Bravo and Peacock Unscripted, there was a massive season of Peacock’s The Traitors, which begat series ratings highs and the kind of media coverage usually reserved for a prestige show starring an Oscar winner or two. — Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 12 Aug. 2026

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