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

• percental adjective

Etymology

Origin of percent

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

Oil prices -- which tumbled last week after the United States and Iran agreed to a ceasefire -- jumped around eight percent Monday, with both contracts topping $100 a barrel.

From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026

However, the survey also shows that 68 percent of Hispanic voters and 58 percent of Black voters believe the city is "on the wrong track."

From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026

Spain's own trade deficit with China, Sanchez added, accounts for 74 percent of the European country's total deficit.

From Barron's • Apr. 12, 2026

Fifty-four percent of sit-down restaurants surveyed by the National Restaurant Association said they had fewer-than-average applicants for kitchen-support positions last year.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026

The aristocrats of the rating business, 20 percent owned by Warren Buffett.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

Related Words

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