Meaning & use
tiered rate
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
a price or charge that changes according to the amount used or the level of service
Grammar: Often used in the plural: tiered rates. You can say "a tiered rate for electricity."
Patterns
- a tiered rate for something
- tiered rates
The electricity company uses a tiered rate, so the more you use, the more you pay per unit.
Hotels often offer a tiered rate depending on the room type.
Under the tiered rate, low-income customers pay a lower price.
nouncountable
a system of pricing where different levels of customers or usage are charged different amounts
Grammar: Often used in business contexts to describe pricing strategies.
Patterns
- a tiered rate structure
- tiered rate system
The gym has a tiered rate: basic, premium, and VIP.
Many software companies use a tiered rate to attract different types of users.
The new tiered rate will reward customers who use less water.
Word forms
| plural | tiered rates |
|---|
Common combinations
- tiered rate structure
- The tiered rate structure means heavy users pay more.
- tiered pricing
- The company switched to tiered pricing to be more fair.
- a tiered rate for electricity
- A tiered rate for electricity encourages people to save energy.
- tiered rate system
- The tiered rate system has three levels.
Synonyms and how they differ
- block rate
- Similar, but "block rate" often refers to a fixed price for a set amount of usage, while "tiered rate" emphasizes different levels.
- sliding scale
- A broader term for prices that change based on income or usage; "tiered rate" is more specific to levels or tiers.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: tiered rate or tired rate?
tiered rate vs tired rate
Sounds similar but means a rate that is tired or exhausted, which makes no sense; the correct word is "tiered."
Practice
A tiered rate means that the price ________.
Choose one answer.
A tiered rate changes based on usage or level. The other options describe a flat rate or a discount, which are different concepts.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “tiered rate”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.