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:
Mitsuwa Marketplace, a fast-growing Asian grocery chain, sells packages of thin, hot-pot-ready A5 cuts for $120 per pound.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
Another oversight battle concerns the rights of detainees who work at a facility, perhaps as a janitor, for $1 per day.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
After landing, the aircraft taxied to the gate, and emergency personnel met the aircraft upon arrival, per procedure.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
Three years ago, Ashley Bates’ longtime primary care physician instituted an annual fee of $600 per patient, which was difficult for Bates and her family to afford.
From Slate ● Aug. 22, 2026
Each additional sibling costs five dollars per hour.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
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
Man-made per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, are found in all sorts of industrial and consumer products, including carpets, rain jackets, and makeup.
From Slate ● Apr. 18, 2024
They’re PFAS: a class of man-made chemicals called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.
From New York Times ● Apr. 8, 2024
Perhaps the peaks store rain and distribute it more evenly, and per- haps, being more wooded, they draw more rainfall.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
We is first per. plural; Ye or You is second per. plural; They is third per. plural.
From English Grammar in Familiar Lectures by Samuel Kirkham
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 C. N. (Charles Norris) Williamson
And even with our ten per. off, it's forty per. profit for him.
From Winnie Childs The Shop Girl by C. N. (Charles Norris) Williamson
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 George Washington Plunkitt
He, She, or It, is third per. sing.;
From English Grammar in Familiar Lectures by Samuel Kirkham
Per. p¾dÏzahr bezoar; p¾d protecting + zahr poison; cf.
From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (2nd 100 Pages) by Noah Webster
The Theme or Root of the Verb is always found in the second Per. sing. of the imperative.
From Elements of Gaelic Grammar by Alexander Stewart
Per. & my nephew & the “Process” have made a great stride forward.
From The Letters of Anne Gilchrist and Walt Whitman by Anne Burrows Gilchrist
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 Anne Burrows Gilchrist
According to federal data from 2024, only seven states had a PER under 6 percent.
From Slate ● Nov. 14, 2025
PER Lusulu Power's website says the company entered into a construction contract with China State Construction Engineering Corporation, which would secure debt finance from Bank of China.
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
As of Monday, December 11th, there have been 345 excruciating days in 2017, which means this Middle Earth wanderer has averaged 1.04 viewings of the Return of the King PER DAY this year.
From Golf Digest ● Dec. 11, 2017
PER: I have heard, He could not read, sir.
From Volpone; Or, the Fox by Ben Jonson
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.
