percent

American  

[per-sent] / pərˈsɛnt /

Or per cent

noun

• percents
  plural

1. Also called per centum. one one-hundredth part; 1/100.

2. percentage.

3. British. stocks, bonds, etc., that bear an indicated rate of interest.

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adjective

1. figured or expressed on the basis of a rate or proportion per hundred (used in combination with a number in expressing rates of interest, proportions, etc.): %

   to get three percent interest.

percent Scientific  

/ pər-sĕnt′ /

1. One part in a hundred. For example, 62 percent (also written 62%) means 62 parts out of 100.

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percent Cultural  

1. A fraction expressed as a number of hundredths. Twelve percent of a quantity, for example, is twelve one-hundredths of it. Twelve percent may also be written 12%.

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Commonly Confused

In the senses “rate or proportion per hundred” and “proportion in general” percent and percentage are frequently interchangeable. With a preceding number, only percent occurs ( a 16 percent decline ); with no preceding number, either occurs, but percentage is much more common: a certain percentage (or percent ) of the land.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• percental
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• percents
  plural

Etymology

Origin of percent

First recorded in 1560–70; short for Medieval Latin per centum “by the hundred”; see per, cent

Explanation

A percent is part of something, split into a hundred pieces. For example, fifty percent of forty is twenty. You'll hear a lot about percent and percentages in math. A percent can go from 0 percent to 100 percent. A percent is calculated by comparing a part of something compared to the whole. A baseball player's batting average is a percent. Athletes are known for talking about numbers that are impossible, like "I gave 110 percent!" You can do that in slang, but don't try it in math class.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

percent percents

The latest draft recommends cutting back the original proposal most heavily in the area that covers international aid, with the cut being 17 percent.

From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2026

The main gripe for the frugal is the proposed budget represents an increase of around 60 percent on the last one at a time when member states have to tighten their belts.

From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2026

But Athens and Rome have taken painful steps to cut deficit spending, while France's deficit remains above five percent of GDP, far above the eurozone average of 2.9 percent.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

In the fields, the cost of diesel needed to run combines as farmers start harvesting soybeans, corn and other crops this month has skyrocketed more than 67 percent since February.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

“Ninety percent of the heat trapped in the earth’s atmosphere goes into the oceans,” she went on.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz

In Oklahoma, about 60 percents of patients are now from Texas.

From New York Times ● Dec. 10, 2021

Based on your gut feeling, do you believe the percents accurately reflect the U.S. population for those individuals born since 1971?

From Textbooks ● Mar. 27, 2020

"Fifty percent of them want him to, and 50 percent don't want him to. I try to play both 50 percents."

From Reuters ● Jan. 27, 2017

And when you add up all those weeks he’s had to re-do the loan, the yearly interest rate could add up to hundreds of percents.

From Washington Times ● Jun. 7, 2016

Wearing it in class when the teacher droned on about fractions and percents.

From "The Lemonade War" by Jacqueline Davies

Related Words

• bonus
• chunk
• fee
• interest
• proportion
• rate
• ratio
• royalty