Definition of at any rate

• used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement; "Anyhow, he is dead now"; "I think theyre asleep; anyhow, theyre quiet"; "I dont know what happened to it; anyway, its gone"; "anyway, there is another factor to consider"; "I dont 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"
• 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"