the lowest commercial interest rate charged by a bank at a particular time
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
ˈprime ˈrate, n. [countable* usually: the + ~]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Banking, Businessthe minimum interest rate charged by a commercial bank on short-term business loans to large, best-rated customers or corporations. Also called prime, ˈprime ˈin•ter•est ˌrate, ˈprime ˈlend•ing ˌrate.
prime′ rate′, [Banking.]
- Banking, Businessthe minimum interest rate charged by a commercial bank on short-term business loans to large, best-rated customers or corporations. Also called prime, prime interest rate, prime lending rate.
- 1955–60
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'prime rate' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):