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:
Barclays maintains its Brent crude oil forecast of $96.00 per barrel for 2026.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
By ElAttrache’s estimation, he has performed the operation between 50 and 75 times per year over his career — including the two he has done on Ohtani, one in 2018 and one in 2023.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
Digoxin has been used in medicine for centuries and costs less than ten cents per day.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026
His offspring are made of lesser stuff than him, but our hero manages to earn redemption by flinging a stockcar around a tri-oval racetrack 180 times at 200 miles per hour.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
Brooklyn stared out the window at a landscape of green, yellow, and brown as the Eurostar raced through the French countryside, going nearly 190 miles per hour.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
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
PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are man-made chemicals that date back to the 1940s.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 25, 2025
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
“Dumbledore’s reading what signs?” said Ron, looking per- Hedwig gave him an extremely offended look and took off for the open window, cuffing him around the head with her outstretched wing as she went.
From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling
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
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
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
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
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
Per. p¾dÏzahr bezoar; p¾d protecting + zahr poison; cf.
From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (2nd 100 Pages) by Noah Webster
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
She is, Were she not mine, a lady of that merit, For fashion and behaviour; and, for beauty I durst compare— PER: It seems you are not jealous, That dare commend her.
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.
