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per cent

British

/ pə ˈsɛnt /

adverb

Also: per centum. %. in or for every hundred

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

a percentage or proportion
(often plural) securities yielding a rate of interest as specified

he bought three percents

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of per cent

C16: from Medieval Latin per centum out of every hundred

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.

The five-year gilt rate was down the equivalent of a quarter per cent rate cut.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

After four hours in simulated zero gravity, the number of successfully fertilized mouse eggs dropped by 30 per cent compared to normal Earth conditions.

From Science Daily • Mar. 29, 2026

"Between 10-24 per cent of the population unknowingly carry this germ at the back of their throats usually without any harm," said Lee.

From Barron's • Mar. 19, 2026

But the Swedish company was at pains to point out that payments don't just benefit the top one per cent, saying that "roughly half of royalties were generated by independent artists and labels".

From BBC • Mar. 11, 2026

Along with the quail went 90 per cent of the songbirds.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

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