Rate — Defs

01 v. t. & i. To chide with vehemence; to scold; to censure violently; to berate.

1.
To chide with vehemence; to scold; to censure violently; to berate.
“Go, rate thy minions, proud, insulting boy!” — Shak.

“Conscience is a check to beginners in sin, reclaiming them from it, and rating them for it.” — Barrow.

02 n. Established portion or measure; fixed allowance.

1.
Established portion or measure; fixed allowance.
“The one right feeble through the evil rate Of food which in her duress she had found.” — Spenser.
2.
That which is established as a measure or criterion; degree; standard; rank; proportion; ratio; as, a slow rate of movement; rate of interest is the ratio of the interest to the principal, per annum.
“Heretofore the rate and standard of wit was different from what it is nowadays.” — South.

“In this did his holiness and godliness appear above the rate and pitch of other men's, in that he was so . . . merciful.” — Calamy.

“Many of the horse could not march at that rate, nor come up soon enough.” — Clarendon.
3.
Valuation; price fixed with relation to a standard; cost; charge; as, high or low rates of transportation.
“They come at dear rates from Japan.” — Locke.
4.
A tax or sum assessed by authority on property for public use, according to its income or value; esp., in England, a local tax; as, parish rates; town rates.
5.
Order; arrangement.[Obs.]
“Thus sat they all around in seemly rate.” — Spenser.
6.
Ratification; approval.[R.]
7.
The gain or loss of a timepiece in a unit of time; as, daily rate; hourly rate; etc.(Horol.)
8.
The order or class to which a war vessel belongs, determined according to its size, armament, etc.; as, first rate, second rate, etc.(Naut.)

03 v. t. To set a certain estimate on; to value at a certain price or degree.

imp. & p. p. Rated; p. pr. & vb. n. Rating

1.
To set a certain estimate on; to value at a certain price or degree.
“To rate a man by the nature of his companions is a rule frequent indeed, but not infallible.” — South.

“You seem not high enough your joys to rate.” — Dryden.
2.
To assess for the payment of a rate or tax.
3.
To settle the relative scale, rank, position, amount, value, or quality of; as, to rate a ship; to rate a seaman; to rate a pension.
4.
To ratify.[Obs.]

Phrases & compounds

To rate a chronometer — to ascertain the exact rate of its gain or loss as compared with true time, so as to make an allowance or computation dependent thereon.

Syn. To value; appraise; estimate; reckon.

04 v. i. To be set or considered in a class; to have rank; as, the ship rates as a ship of the line.

1.
To be set or considered in a class; to have rank; as, the ship rates as a ship of the line.
2.
To make an estimate.