How to Use prime rate in a Sentence

prime rate

noun
  • And that, in turn, would lead to a drop in the prime rate.
    — Aly J Yale, CBS News, 19 June 2026
  • The prime rate — which drives many consumer loans — moves up to 7%.
    — Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 16 Nov. 2020
  • Many small business loans are indexed to the prime rate, too.
    — Susan Tompor, USA TODAY, 15 Dec. 2017
  • The latest move is a cut by major banks to the five-year loan prime rate.
    — Jj Kinahan, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024
  • Most lenders use Wall Street’s prime rate as their index.
    — Jeff Lazerson, Oc Register, 14 May 2026
  • The prime rate was the base for your brother-in-law’s equity line.
    — cleveland, 27 Oct. 2019
  • The banks, in turn, price new loans using the loan prime rate as a reference.
    — Jonathan Cheng, WSJ, 20 Jan. 2022
  • So, when the Fed raises or lowers rates, the prime rate changes and tracks to that change.
    — Jeff Lazerson, Oc Register, 14 May 2026
  • That’s because those rates are based in part on banks’ prime rate, which follows the Fed’s.
    — Time, 15 Dec. 2022
  • Increasing the federal funds rate cranks up what's known as the prime rate.
    — Rob Wile, NBC News, 9 Nov. 2022
  • The nation’s central bank kept loan prime rates unchanged for May.
    — Felix Tam, Bloomberg.com, 19 May 2023
  • That rate then serves as the basis for the prime rate, which stood at 8% on Wednesday.
    — Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY, 12 June 2023
  • That’s because those rates are based in part on banks’ prime rate, which moves in tandem with the Fed.
    — Christopher Rugaber, Anchorage Daily News, 28 July 2022
  • That's because those rates are based in part on banks' prime rate, which moves in tandem with the Fed.
    — Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 27 Jan. 2022
  • And that cut is to the federal funds rate, not the prime rate, which dictates credit card rates.
    — CBS News, 25 Nov. 2025
  • The prime rate will also drop 50 bps as soon as this chart updates with one more day of data.
    — Moneyshow, Forbes, 26 Sep. 2024
  • Here's what some didn't know Many credit cards are variable rate cards that can go up or down based on the prime rate.
    — Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 30 Oct. 2019
  • The interest rate for this loan adjusts based on the prime rate and a profit margin added to that rate.
    — Jeff Lazerson, Oc Register, 5 June 2025
  • Credit card rates are based on the prime rate, not the federal funds rate that the Fed controls.
    — Matt Richardson, CBS News, 18 Nov. 2025
  • Specifically, now that the Fed has cut its short-term rate, the prime rate will follow.
    — Mike Patton, Forbes, 20 Sep. 2024
  • With a rate cut, the prime rate lowers, too, and the interest rate on your credit card debt is likely to follow.
    — Jessica Dickler, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2025
  • Generally speaking, when the Fed raises the funds rate, the prime rate goes up, too.
    — Q.ai - Powering A Personal Wealth Movement, Forbes, 17 June 2022
  • The interest rates banks charge on their credit cards are tied to the prime rate, which is tightly linked to the Fed funds rate.
    — Elisabeth Buchwald, USA TODAY, 12 Dec. 2013
  • With a rate cut, the prime rate comes down and the interest rate on your credit card debt should follow within a billing cycle or two.
    — Jessica Dickler, CNBC, 10 Dec. 2025
  • For several decades now, the rule of thumb has been that the prime rate is equivalent to the federal funds rate plus 3%.
    — Rob Wile, NBC News, 16 June 2022
  • For existing customers, credit cards often have variable rates, which drop after the prime rate falls.
    — Susan Tompor, Freep.com, 23 Oct. 2025
  • Most credit cards have variable APRs that fluctuate with changes in the prime rate.
    — Kevin Cerveny, Kansas City Star, 17 Oct. 2025
  • When the Fed raises or lowers its benchmark rate, the prime rate usually moves in the same direction.
    — Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 10 Mar. 2026
  • With a rate cut, the prime rate lowers, too, and the interest rates on variable-rate debt — most notably credit cards — are likely to follow.
    — Jessica Dickler, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2025
  • China’s central bank kept the loan prime rates (LPR) unchanged for the fourth month in a row, in line with a Reuters poll.
    — Sam Meredith, CNBC, 22 Sep. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'prime rate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: