percent

American

[per-sent] / pərˈsɛnt /

Or per cent

noun

Also called per centum. one one-hundredth part; 1/100.
percentage.
British. stocks, bonds, etc., that bear an indicated rate of interest.

adjective

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′ /

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

percent Cultural

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%.

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

percental adjective

Etymology

Origin of percent

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

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.

There was also a slight dent in the unemployment rate, from 4.4 percent to 4.3 percent.

From Slate • Apr. 3, 2026

That risk increases to 10 percent if a parent or sibling is affected, and rises to 50 percent for identical twins.

From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026

In peacetime, around 20 percent of the world's crude oil and liquefied natural gas passes through the chokepoint.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

The new prices mark an increase of 42.7 percent in petrol prices and 54.9 percent in the price of diesel.

From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026

Plus, you can see all the cereal dust in the bottom, which makes any cereal 50 percent less appetizing.

From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023