rat ‧ ing /ˈreɪtɪŋ/ BrE AmE noun
[ Word Family: verb : ↑ rate , ↑ overrate ≠ UNDERRATE ; noun : ↑ rate , ↑ rating ; adjective : ↑ overrated ≠ ↑ underrated ]
1 . [countable] a level on a scale that shows how good, important, popular etc someone or something is:
By the end of the year the Prime Minister’s approval rating (=how many people agreed with his policies) had fallen as low as 12 percent.
⇨ ↑ credit rating
2 . the ratings a list that shows which films, television programmes etc are the most popular:
CBS will end the series if it continues to drop in the ratings.
3 . [singular] a letter that shows whether or not a film is suitable for children:
‘The Godfather’ had an X-rating when it was first shown.
4 . [countable] British English a ↑ sailor in the navy who is not an officer
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + rating
▪ high
His previous highest approval rating was 58 percent.
▪ low
The rating he gave the restaurant was embarrassingly low.
▪ an approval/popularity rating
His popularity rating remains high.
▪ a performance rating
They received different pay increases even though their performance ratings were the same.
▪ a credit rating (=how likely someone is to pay their debts)
We can’t give you the loan because you have a bad credit rating.
▪ a star rating (=a number of star symbols that shows a level of quality etc)
Each restaurant is given a star rating.
■ verbs
▪ give somebody/something a rating
I'd only give this PC a rating of two out of five.
▪ receive/get/achieve/score a rating
The Department of Computer Science received a top rating last year.
▪ a rating rises/climbs
The president's approval ratings have risen considerably.
▪ a rating falls
His rating fell to only 28%.