percent

or per cent

[ per-sent ]

/ pərˈsɛnt /

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See synonyms for percent on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

percentage (defs. 1, 3).

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.Symbol: %

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of percent

1560–70; short for Medieval Latin per centum by the hundred. See per, cent

historical usage of percent

Percent is from the Latin adverbial phrase per centum meaning “by the hundred.” The Latin phrase entered English in the 16th century. Later, it was abbreviated per cent. with a final period. Eventually, the period was dropped and the two parts merged to produce the modern one-word form percent. The two-word form per cent is still used occasionally, but its use is diminishing. The percent sign ( % ) is used chiefly in scientific, tabular, or statistical material and only with numerals preceding it: 58%; a range of 30% to 40%.

words often confused with percent

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 WORDS FROM percent

per·cent·al, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH percent

percent , percentage, percentile (see confusables note at the current entry)

Words nearby percent

per capita, perceivable, perceive, perceived, perceived noise decibel, percent, percentage, percenter, percentile, percent sign, per centum

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use percent in a sentence

As for Heinicke, he said his left shoulder is “pretty much 100 percent.”
Quarterback Taylor Heinicke signs two-year contract to return to Washington Football Team|Sam Fortier|February 10, 2021|Washington Post
“I’m more than positive that it was literally less than half a percent,” this person said.
Media Briefing: Media companies’ DE&I follow-throughs fall short|Tim Peterson|February 4, 2021|Digiday
If a third party is taking anywhere between 15 to 30 percent of the order, then that’s more than the profit of the people who are actually doing the work.
Restaurants Avoiding Big Delivery Apps Have to Get Creative|Kristen Hawley|February 1, 2021|Eater
Among those stocks is Virgin Galactic, which has a "short percent of float" of about 70 percent.
As Virgin Galactic gets swept up in GameStop mania, it gets back to flying|Eric Berger|February 1, 2021|Ars Technica

If they were, about 35 to 40 percent of adults would never get a license to drive.
What you need to know about standardized testing|Valerie Strauss|February 1, 2021|Washington Post
Thirty-six percent were in favor and 38 percent were opposed.
How the PC Police Threaten Free Speech|Nick Gillespie|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Historically the reelection rate for members of Congress is in the area of 95 percent.
The Unbearable Whiteness of Congress|Dean Obeidallah|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The breakdown of the 114th Congress is 80 percent white, 80 percent male, and 92 percent Christian.
The Unbearable Whiteness of Congress|Dean Obeidallah|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
With chemotherapy, her doctors give her at least an 80 percent chance of survival.
Should Teens Have The Right To Die?|Brandy Zadrozny|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
This Congress will welcome more women than ever before at 19 percent of the House and 20 percent of the Senate.
The Unbearable Whiteness of Congress|Dean Obeidallah|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The public wants to see midgets and fully fifty percent of these are now engaged in some form of show business.
David Lannarck, Midget|George S. Harney
It costs the Government from 50 percent more to twice as much as it would private enterprise to put water on the land (applause).
Proceedings of the Second National Conservation Congress|Various
Eighty-odd percent of our people are directly or indirectly dependent for their living on business conditions.
Proceedings of the Second National Conservation Congress|Various
Of this great territory 27 percent is occupied by forests, a proportion nearly the same as that of the forest area of Germany.
Proceedings of the Second National Conservation Congress|Various
This had rendered unavoidable a twenty percent reduction in wages paid employes in the Navy Yard.
A History of Trade Unionism in the United States|Selig Perlman

British Dictionary definitions for percent

per cent

/ (pə ˈsɛnt) /

adverb

Also: per centum in or for every hundredSymbol: %

noun Also: per'cent

a percentage or proportion

(often plural) securities yielding a rate of interest as specifiedhe bought three percents

Word Origin for per cent

C16: from Medieval Latin per centum out of every hundred

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for percent

percent

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

Cultural definitions for percent

percent

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%.

percent

or per cent

Origin of percent

historical usage of percent

words often confused with percent

OTHER WORDS FROM percent

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH percent

Words nearby percent

Words related to percent

How to use percent in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for percent

Word Origin for per cent

Scientific definitions for percent

Cultural definitions for percent