[rat.ing] n (1702) 1: a classification according to grade; specif: a military or naval specialist classification
2. chiefly Brit: a naval enlisted man 3 a: relative estimate or evaluation: standing "the school has a good academic ~" 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 (as kilowatts of a direct-current generator) or in characteristics (as voltage)