ratepayer

noun

rate·​pay·​er ˈrāt-ˌpā-ər 

1

British : taxpayer

2

: one who pays for a utility service and especially electricity according to established rates

Examples of ratepayer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

One burning question is whether the forecasts are based on data center projects that may never get built — eliciting concern that regular ratepayers could be stuck with the bill to build unnecessary power plants and grid infrastructure at a cost of billions of dollars. —Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 16 Nov. 2025

These costs are shouldered by utilities, who pass them on to ratepayers — spreading the expenses over decades of line-item bill fees. —Ella Nilsen, CNN Money, 14 Nov. 2025

These plants can be retooled and kept safe without massive new outlays that could put utilities or their ratepayers at financial risk. —Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 12 Nov. 2025

How does the bill increase transparency for energy and water use and protect regular ratepayers? —Claudia Levens, jsonline.com, 6 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1845, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for ratepayer

• interlayer
• monolayer
• multilayer
• multiplayer
• overlayer
• assayer
• ballplayer
• betrayer
• bilayer
• bricklayer
• conveyer
• conveyor