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
Nearly 17 years after the King of Pop’s death, Michael Jackson is dominating the box office, television ratings and headlines.
—
Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2026
The last piece of the puzzle here is going from the player-level xGC, to a team rating, or Roster xGC.
—Ethan Douglas, New York Times, 10 June 2026
Yet the biggest surprise of the event may have come from a Chinese electric minivan that dramatically exceeded its official range rating.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 9 June 2026
South Boston’s beaches ranked at the top of the list, with City Point beach receiving a 100% water quality rating for the sixth year in a row.
—Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 9 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for rating
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2026
The last piece of the puzzle here is going from the player-level xGC, to a team rating, or Roster xGC.
—Ethan Douglas, New York Times, 10 June 2026
Yet the biggest surprise of the event may have come from a Chinese electric minivan that dramatically exceeded its official range rating.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 9 June 2026
South Boston’s beaches ranked at the top of the list, with City Point beach receiving a 100% water quality rating for the sixth year in a row.
—Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 9 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for rating
Cite this Entry
“Rating.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rating. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
