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• per
  per

  preposition

  for each; for every.
• per-
  per-

  a prefix meaning “through,” “thoroughly,” “utterly,” “very”: pervert; pervade; perfect.
• per.
  per.

  abbreviation

  percentile.
• Per.
  Per.

  abbreviation

  Persia.
• PER
  PER

  abbreviation

  Professional Employment Register

per

¹ American  

[pur, per] / pɜr, pər /

preposition

1. for each; for every.

   Membership costs ten dollars per year. This cloth is two dollars per yard.

2. by means of; by; through.

   I am sending the recipe per messenger.

3. Also according to; in accordance with.

   I delivered the box per your instructions.

   He managed to monopolize the meeting, per usual.

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adverb

1. Informal. each; for each one.

   The charge for window-washing was five dollars per.

per- ² American  

1. a prefix meaning “through,” “thoroughly,” “utterly,” “very”: pervert; pervade; perfect.

2. 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 ).

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per. ³ American  

abbreviation

1. percentile.

2. period.

3. person.

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Per. ⁴ American  

abbreviation

1. Persia.

2. Persian.

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per- ¹ British  

prefix

1. through

   pervade

2. throughout

   perennial

3. away, beyond

   perfidy

4. completely, throughly

   perplex

5. (intensifier)

   perfervid

6. indicating that a chemical compound contains a high proportion of a specified element

   peroxide

   perchloride

7. indicating that a chemical element is in a higher than usual state of oxidation

   permanganate

   perchlorate

8. (not in technical usage) a variant of peroxy-

   persulphuric acid

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per ² British  

/ pə, pɜː /

determiner

1. for every

   three pence per pound

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preposition

1. (esp in some Latin phrases) by; through

2. according to

   as per specifications

3. informal as usual

PER ³ British  

abbreviation

1. Professional Employment Register

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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

Admittedly, analyst expectations for Alibaba earnings in fiscal 2027 have declined markedly – from $10.35 per share last year down to just $6.29 now, according to FactSet.

From MarketWatch • Jul. 8, 2026

The Covid-19 pandemic had supercharged America’s snacking habit: Some 70% of consumers were eating at least two per day, Smucker said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 8, 2026

The agency had found six violations of state code by the company after detainees complained about a lack of protective equipment and proper training while cleaning the facility for $1 per day.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 8, 2026

The cost of an average all-inclusive seven-night family stay this August to Spain is up by 4% to £155 per person.

From BBC • Jul. 7, 2026

“At one hour per day after school, every weekday,” Santa says, “that brings us back here in two months for your review panel. Does this sound agreeable to you, Gabriel?”

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz