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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

See Examples For:

per per- per. Per. PER

The pier receives an average of 27,000 to 38,000 visitors per day, translating to more than 10 million visitors annually, according to Pacific Park.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 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

Adjusted earnings per share were 78 cents, compared with estimates of 74 cents a share according to analysts polled by FactSet.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

"I've fought contenders. I've fought champions. I've been knocked down. I've been knocked out. I stand strong today and I'm ready for the challenge one million per cent."

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

Nathan pushed his big toe down on the gas pedal and didn't dare go faster than thirty-five miles per hour.

From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young

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

Thanks to their stain-, water-, and grease-resistant properties, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, have been a mainstay of commercial and consumer products for decades.

From Salon ● Oct. 22, 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

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

NOTE.—Standing alone, per- signifies by: as, per annum, by the year.

From New Word-Analysis by William Swinton

We is first per. plural; Ye or You is second per. plural; They is third per. plural.

From English Grammar in Familiar Lectures by Kirkham, Samuel

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

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)

He, She, or It, is third per. sing.;

From English Grammar in Familiar Lectures by Kirkham, Samuel

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

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

Per. & my nephew & the “Process” have made a great stride forward.

From The Letters of Anne Gilchrist and Walt Whitman by Gilchrist, Anne Burrows

Per. p¾dÏzahr bezoar; p¾d protecting + zahr poison; cf.

From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (2nd 100 Pages) by Webster, Noah

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 had also sought financing of up to $2 billion for the project from ICBC, according to extracts of a term sheet dated August 2020 viewed by Reuters.

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

VOLP: But, to our price— PER: And that withal, sir Pol.

From Volpone; Or, the Fox by Jonson, Ben