interest rate

[in-ter-ist reyt, -trist] / ˈɪn tər ɪst ˌreɪt, -trɪst /

NOUN

sum charged for use of money

Synonyms

STRONGEST

interest

WEAK

annual percentage rate bank rate borrowing rate lending rate price of money prime interest rate prime rate rate of interest

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.

This conclusion is reinforced by economists’ calculations of the so-called natural interest rate, otherwise known as r-star.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 8, 2026

The government imposes caps when it thinks inflation, and therefore the interest rate, will grow too high.

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026

They cut a key U.S. interest rate three times late last year to make sure the labor market didn’t get any worse.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026

The minutes covered the governing council’s deliberations that started March 13 leading up to the March 18 policy decision, at which time officials left its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 2.25%.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

He recited the line from memory: “‘The Lomas Financial Corporation is a perfectly hedged financial institution: it loses money in every conceivable interest rate environment.’

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis