percent

or per cent

[ per-sent ]

noun

1. Also called per centum. one one-hundredth part; 1/100.
2. percentage ( defs 1, 3 ).
3. British. stocks, bonds, etc., that bear an indicated rate of interest.

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

/ pər-sĕnt′ /

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

percent

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%.

Confusables Note

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

• per·cental adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of percent¹

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

Example Sentences

As for Heinicke, he said his left shoulder is “pretty much 100 percent.”

From Washington Post

“I’m more than positive that it was literally less than half a percent,” this person said.

From 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.

From Eater

Among those stocks is Virgin Galactic, which has a "short percent of float" of about 70 percent.

From Ars Technica

If they were, about 35 to 40 percent of adults would never get a license to drive.

From Washington Post

Thirty-six percent were in favor and 38 percent were opposed.

From The Daily Beast

Historically the reelection rate for members of Congress is in the area of 95 percent.

From The Daily Beast

The breakdown of the 114th Congress is 80 percent white, 80 percent male, and 92 percent Christian.

From The Daily Beast

With chemotherapy, her doctors give her at least an 80 percent chance of survival.

From The Daily Beast

This Congress will welcome more women than ever before at 19 percent of the House and 20 percent of the Senate.

From The Daily Beast

The public wants to see midgets and fully fifty percent of these are now engaged in some form of show business.

From Project Gutenberg

It costs the Government from 50 percent more to twice as much as it would private enterprise to put water on the land (applause).

From Project Gutenberg

Eighty-odd percent of our people are directly or indirectly dependent for their living on business conditions.

From Project Gutenberg

Of this great territory 27 percent is occupied by forests, a proportion nearly the same as that of the forest area of Germany.

From Project Gutenberg

This had rendered unavoidable a twenty percent reduction in wages paid employes in the Navy Yard.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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