at any rate meaning and definition

AT ANY RATE adverb

Definition of at any rate (adverb)

1. used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement
   • "Anyhow, he is dead now"; "I think they're asleep; anyhow, they're quiet"; "I don't know what happened to it; anyway, it's gone"; "anyway, there is another factor to consider"; "I don't know how it started; in any case, there was a brief scuffle"; "in any event, the government faced a serious protest"; "but at any rate he got a knighthood for it"
   • synonyms: anyhow, anyway, anyways, in any case, in any event
2. if nothing else (`leastwise' is informal and `leastways' is colloquial)
   • "at least he survived"; "they felt--at any rate Jim felt--relieved though still wary"; "the influence of economists--or at any rate of economics--is far-reaching"
   • synonyms: at least, leastways, leastwise