rate of change

noun phrase

: a value that results from dividing the change in a function of a variable by the change in the variable
velocity is the rate of change in distance with respect to time

Examples of rate of change in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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What makes this moment different is the rate of change that’s happening right now. Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 15 Dec. 2025 Lone Star provided data from the Texas Department of Public Safety, which shows the rate of change from 2023 to 2025 for homicide, drug, and assault for youth between the ages of 10 and 16, where Tarrant County and Texas are nearly identical. Kamal Morgan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Dec. 2025 Meanwhile, the brands that saw the biggest fall in momentum with the rate of change in weekly engagements include Tesla, NFL, Lamborghini, Nike, Audi, Apple, Ferrari, Amazon, Target, Temu, Walmart, Adidas, Sephora, Google, Coca Cola, Spotify, DoorDash, Disney and Red Bull. Kanika Talwar, Footwear News, 24 Sep. 2025 The rate of change across devices, applications and connections outpaces what human teams can track or document. Pavel Bykov, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for rate of change

Word History

First Known Use

1876, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of rate of change was in 1876

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Cite this Entry

“Rate of change.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rate%20of%20change. Accessed 3 Jan. 2026.

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