percent

American  

[per-sent] / pərˈsɛnt /

Or per cent

noun

1. Also called per centum.  one one-hundredth part; 1/100.

2. percentage.

3. British. stocks, bonds, etc., that bear an indicated rate of interest.

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adjective

1. 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′ /

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

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percent Cultural  

1. 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%.

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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

Derived Forms

• percental
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of percent

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

Explanation

A percent is part of something, split into a hundred pieces. For example, fifty percent of forty is twenty. You'll hear a lot about percent and percentages in math. A percent can go from 0 percent to 100 percent. A percent is calculated by comparing a part of something compared to the whole. A baseball player's batting average is a percent. Athletes are known for talking about numbers that are impossible, like "I gave 110 percent!" You can do that in slang, but don't try it in math class.

Example Sentences

Crude prices rose one percent on Wednesday amid dimming prospects of a deal, having fallen as much as five percent at one point the previous day on optimism an agreement would be reached.

From Barron's • Jun. 10, 2026

They had fallen as much as five percent at one point Tuesday on optimism a deal would be struck.

From Barron's • Jun. 10, 2026

"To put our findings in perspective, a 10 percent increase in UPFs is roughly equivalent to adding a standard packet of chips to your daily diet," Dr. Cardoso said.

From Science Daily • Jun. 9, 2026

Bondi was willing to give him 92 percent of what he wanted.

From Slate • Jun. 9, 2026

About 40 percent of Okuma was opened up in 2019, as were about 1.5 square miles of Futaba in 2020.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland

Related Words

• bonus
• chunk
• fee
• interest
• proportion
• rate
• ratio
• royalty