rater

to miss, to fail

verb rah-TEH Less Common

Also means

to flunk

Usage Note

Rater is an informal but very common verb meaning to miss (a bus, an opportunity) or to fail at something. It is used instead of the more formal manquer or échouer in everyday speech. Rater son examen means to fail an exam, and rater le train means to miss the train — two very practical uses for learners to keep in mind.

Examples

"J'ai raté mon bus ce matin."

Natural Translation

I missed my bus this morning.

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