per

1 of 4

preposition

ˈpər 

1

: by the means or agency of : through

per bearer

2

: with respect to every member of a specified group : for each

3

: according to

—often used with as

per instructions

as per usual

Using Per as a Preposition: Usage Guide

Per occurs most frequently in business contexts; its use outside such contexts is often criticized but is quite widespread, especially in sense 2. Its most common and natural nonbusiness uses always involve figures, usually in relation to price

$150 per performance

, automobiles

32 miles per gallon

55 miles per hour

, or sports.

averages 15 points and 9 rebounds per game

per

2 of 4

adverb

: for each : apiece

a bargain at $3.50 per

per

3 of 4

abbreviation

1

period

2

person

per-

4 of 4

prefix

1

: throughout : thoroughly

peruse

2

a

: containing the largest possible or a relatively large proportion of a (specified) chemical element

perchloroethylene

b

: containing an element in its highest or a high oxidation state

perchloric acid

Synonyms

Preposition

• by
• in
• through
• via
• with

Adverb

• all
• apiece
• each
• per capita

Examples of per in a Sentence

Preposition

The speed limit is 35 miles per hour.

The car gets 32 miles per gallon.

He averages 15 points per game.

Per your advice, I accepted their offer.

Adverb

you can have them at 50 cents per or three for $1.25

Recent Examples on the Web

Preposition

That's a distance of approximately 186 million miles (300,000 kilometers), per Astronomy.com, which is enough to observe the parallax effect in distant stars. —Stefanie Waldek, Travel + Leisure, 7 Apr. 2024

Drawings are held three times per week at approximately 10:59 p.m. ET every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. —Chris Sims, The Indianapolis Star, 7 Apr. 2024

One 2015 study found that 175 Black men per 100,000 in the US had an incident of sudden cardiac arrest, compared with 84 White men, from 2002 to 2012. —Amanda Sealy, CNN, 7 Apr. 2024

Northern Gaza gets an average of 10 food trucks entering per day. —Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 7 Apr. 2024

The average Californian uses 10 times more water than the average Navajo reservation resident Californian: 100 gallons per day Navajo: 10 gallons per day 3 Bathroom sink 2 Bath 7 10 14 Dishes 11 1 Total water use includes additional categories such as landscaping and plumbing leaks. —Tyrone Beason, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2024

In the deli area, the spray bottles of Sani Save sanitizer used to clean the slicers weren’t diluted enough and had a concentration over 400 parts per million. —David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2024

The Broncos averaged just 3.8 rushing yards per carry and went 2-for-13 on third downs. —Ron Counts, Idaho Statesman, 7 Apr. 2024

In November, the firm was issued a $500,000 convertible note with a conversion price of $10 per share; that stake is worth $2 million today. —Drew Harwell, Washington Post, 7 Apr. 2024

Adverb

Senior libero/setter Cassidy Donalson represented Spring Woods on the watch list after averaging a team-high 4.3 digs per set as a junior. —Jack Marrion, Houston Chronicle, 1 July 2019

That’s helped bring per-pound retail prices for beef patties down 16% from their September 2015 high of $5.12 to about $4.31 in June, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data. —Jacob Bunge, WSJ, 30 June 2018

Anderton, the Collierville, Tennessee, native averaged 11.78 assists per set and 2.00 digs per set as Samford improved to 6-6 in SoCon play. —Samford Athletics, AL.com, 2 Nov. 2017

Word History

Etymology

Preposition

Latin, through, by means of, by — more at for

Prefix

Latin, through, throughout, thoroughly, detrimental to, from per

First Known Use

Preposition

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

1899, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing per

• an/per hour
• as per
• per annum
• pay-per-view
• per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances
• per curiam
• per contra
• per centum
• per capita
• per second per second
• per se
• per mill
• per mensem
• per head
• per diem
• per stirpes
• per cent
• as per usual

Kids Definition

per

preposition

(ˈ)pər

1

: by means of

2

: to or for each

$10 per day

3

: as indicated by : according to

per list price

Medical Definition

per

1 of 2 preposition

ˈpər 

: by the means or agency of : by way of : through

enter through the mouth lining and per the bloodstream to the stomach

—Sydney (Australia) Bulletin

blood per rectum

see per os

per

2 of 2 abbreviation

1

period; periodic

2

person

Legal Definition

per

preposition

ˈpər 

: as stated by

—used to indicate the author of an opinion with which the majority of judges concur