interest rate
Americannoun
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Business. the amount that a lender charges a borrower for taking out a loan, for maintaining a balance on debt, etc.: typically expressed as an annual percentage of the loan balance.
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Banking. the amount earned on a savings, checking, or money market account, or on an investment, such as a certificate of deposit or bond: typically expressed as an annual percentage of the account balance or investment sum.
Etymology
Origin of interest rate
First recorded in 1885–90
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Wall Street has been hoping bigger tax refunds, lower interest rates and easing price increases would clear the way for a better 2026 for retailers.
From MarketWatch
This see-saw effect, which protected portfolios for decades, broke in 2022, when the Federal Reserve started raising interest rates to fight inflation—and both stocks and bond prices fell.
From Barron's
A sustained rise in energy costs, combined with sticky inflation, complicates the Federal Reserve’s decision on interest rates.
From Barron's
This see-saw effect, which protected portfolios for decades, broke in 2022, when the Federal Reserve started raising interest rates to fight inflation—and both stocks and bond prices fell.
From Barron's
Inflation in Japan’s capital cooled below the central bank’s 2% target for the first time in over a year, but the slowdown is unlikely to derail further interest rate hikes.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
