per
preposition
for each; for every.
per
1 American
[pur, per]
/ pɜr, pər /
preposition
-
for each; for every.
Membership costs ten dollars per year. This cloth is two dollars per yard.
-
by means of; by; through.
I am sending the recipe per messenger.
-
Also according to; in accordance with.
I delivered the box per your instructions.
He managed to monopolize the meeting, per usual.
adverb
per-
2
American
-
a prefix meaning “through,” “thoroughly,” “utterly,” “very”: pervert; pervade; perfect.
-
Chemistry. a prefix used in the names of inorganic acids and their salts that possess the maximum amount of the element specified in the base word: percarbonic (H 2 C 2 O5 ), permanganic (HMnO4 ), persulfuric (H 2 S 2 O8 ), acids; potassium permanganate (KMnO4 ); potassium persulfate (K 2 S 2 O8 ).
per.
3
American
abbreviation
-
percentile.
-
period.
-
person.
Per.
4
American
abbreviation
-
Persia.
-
Persian.
per-
1
British
prefix
-
through
pervade
-
throughout
perennial
-
away, beyond
perfidy
-
completely, throughly
perplex
-
(intensifier)
perfervid
-
indicating that a chemical compound contains a high proportion of a specified element
peroxide
perchloride
-
indicating that a chemical element is in a higher than usual state of oxidation
permanganate
perchlorate
-
(not in technical usage) a variant of peroxy-
persulphuric acid
per
2
British
/ pə, pɜː /
determiner
preposition
-
(esp in some Latin phrases) by; through
-
according to
as per specifications
-
informal as usual
PER
3
British
abbreviation
Usage
Per meaning a or an or for each occurs chiefly in technical or statistical contexts: miles per gallon; work-hours per week; feet per second; gallons of beer per person per year. It is also common in sports commentary: He averaged 16 points per quarter. Per is sometimes criticized in business writing in the sense “according to” and is rare in literary writing.
Etymology
Origin of per1
First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin: “through, by, for, for each”; see for
Origin of per-2
From Latin, combining form of per, and used as an intensive; per
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The program officially went into effect on July 1, and as of a few days ago, the city is averaging about 150 violations per month, including the warning period that began May 1, Thomas said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
With the highest thread density, the chips can support more AI agents per watt, per dollar and per chip rack, according to the company.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
Edwards Lifesciences’ second-quarter sales rose 14% to $1.74 billion, while adjusted earnings per share reached 78 cents.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Japan's prime minister Sanae Takaichi revealed in a post on X that she survives on zero to three hours of sleep per night, and people are reacting.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
Though each farm there was no more than a shack and a square of land, Calvin’s parcel mysteriously yielded more food per square inch than any other farm in the area.
From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney
These substances, known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS, include thousands of compounds that are still widely used.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 23, 2026
The analysis also found that 64 percent of samples contained at least one per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance, also known as "forever chemicals", which are found throughout the environment and everyday products.
From Barron's ● Jan. 29, 2026
There are nearly 15,000 per- and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals, and for decades, their use has been widespread in everything from nonstick cookware and stain-resistant carpets to refrigeration systems.
From Salon ● Dec. 9, 2024
PFAS, a vast class of chemicals also called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are widespread in the environment.
From New York Times ● Jun. 10, 2024
The moon was a sharply defined crescent and the sky was per- perfectly clear.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
And even with our ten per. off, it's forty per. profit for him.
From Winnie Childs The Shop Girl by Williamson, C. N. (Charles Norris)
We'll take off sixty per. cent. if you wish.
From Plunkitt of Tammany Hall: a series of very plain talks on very practical politics, delivered by ex-Senator George Washington Plunkitt, the Tammany philosopher, from his rostrum—the New York County court house bootblack stand; Recorded by William L. Riordon by Plunkitt, George Washington
He, She, or It, is third per. sing.;
From English Grammar in Familiar Lectures by Kirkham, Samuel
The verb and pronoun of the 1st per. sing. and 3d per. plur. are frequently incorporated into one word, and written taim I am, taid they are.
From Elements of Gaelic Grammar by Stewart, Alexander
Lily had had an eye on it for some time, and would, of course, get it "ten per." off.
From Winnie Childs The Shop Girl by Williamson, C. N. (Charles Norris)
Per. p¾dÏzahr bezoar; p¾d protecting + zahr poison; cf.
From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (2nd 100 Pages) by Webster, Noah
The Blaenavon Co., to which Per. is chemist, has gone into liquidation—& I don’t know whether it will continue to exist—or how soon in these dull times he may find a good opening elsewhere.
From The Letters of Anne Gilchrist and Walt Whitman by Gilchrist, Anne Burrows
Per. & my nephew & the “Process” have made a great stride forward.
From The Letters of Anne Gilchrist and Walt Whitman by Gilchrist, Anne Burrows
The Theme or Root of the Verb is always found in the second Per. sing. of the imperative.
From Elements of Gaelic Grammar by Stewart, Alexander
States that maintain a PER of 6 percent or lower will not have to pay into SNAP, with the federal government continuing to pay 100 percent of the program.
From Slate ● Nov. 14, 2025
PER Lusulu Power plans to build the 2.1 GW Lusulu plant in Zimbabwe's western province of Matabeleland North.
From Reuters ● Mar. 30, 2022
“Just one example cattle farmers have to pay $2600 PER COW a year,” Melissa Tate wrote.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 8, 2021
At this point, Giannis has overtaken Doncic with a PER of 33.78, which would be good for best ever.
From Golf Digest ● Dec. 9, 2019
I always like to see the Foolscap; it is London PER SE and no spot from which it is visible is without romance.
From Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson — Volume 1 by Stevenson, Robert Louis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
