Synonyms

percent

American

[per-sent] / pərˈsɛnt /

Or per cent

noun

Also called per centum. one one-hundredth part; 1/100.
percentage.
British. stocks, bonds, etc., that bear an indicated rate of interest.

adjective

figured or expressed on the basis of a rate or proportion per hundred (used in combination with a number in expressing rates of interest, proportions, etc.): %

to get three percent interest.

percent Scientific

/ pər-sĕnt′ /

One part in a hundred. For example, 62 percent (also written 62%) means 62 parts out of 100.

percent Cultural

A fraction expressed as a number of hundredths. Twelve percent of a quantity, for example, is twelve one-hundredths of it. Twelve percent may also be written 12%.

Commonly Confused

In the senses “rate or proportion per hundred” and “proportion in general” percent and percentage are frequently interchangeable. With a preceding number, only percent occurs ( a 16 percent decline ); with no preceding number, either occurs, but percentage is much more common: a certain percentage (or percent ) of the land.

Other Word Forms

percental adjective

Etymology

Origin of percent

First recorded in 1560–70; short for Medieval Latin per centum “by the hundred”; per, cent

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.

About 83 percent of women officials — up from 71 percent in the previous quarter — said they were less likely to engage in political or civic activity due to insults, harassment and physical threats.

From Salon

Domestic orders jumped 6.5 percent and foreign orders rose almost five percent, with demand from the euro area up more than eight percent.

From Barron's

Linear television accounted for 22 percent of Lidl's total advertising spending last year, compared with "zero" planned in 2026, a spokeswoman told AFP.

From Barron's

If confirmed in its final earnings report, due to be released later this month, the figure would mark an increase of around 200 percent year on year.

From Barron's

US rival Steel Dynamics and Australian industrial and energy company SGH said this week they were jointly bidding to buy 100 percent of BlueScope Steel.

From Barron's

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