cent

1 of 3

noun

ˈsent 

1

: a monetary unit equal to 1/100 of a basic unit of value (such as dollar, euro, rand) see birr, dollar, euro, leone, lilangeni, nakfa, rand, rupee, shilling at Money Table

2

: a coin, token, or note representing one cent

3

: the fen of the People's Republic of China

cent

2 of 3

abbreviation (1)

1

centigrade

2

central

3

centum

4

century

Cent

3 of 3

abbreviation (2)

Central

Examples of cent in a Sentence

Noun

A dime is worth 10 cents.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Nine of the 10 largest individual and family donors in CNBC’s overall top 20 groups are Republican-aligned, accounting for 86 cents of every dollar contributed by the top 10, according to CNBC’s analysis of FEC records. — Luke Fountain, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026

And valuations on several loans held by its biggest financial backer, a private-credit affiliate of KKR, range from nearly 100 cents on the dollar — a full recovery that is nearly unheard of when equity is wiped out — to around 10 cents. — Ellen Dimauro, semafor.com, 7 Oct. 2026

The festival’s scale is unusual for an event that, by festival founder and operator Barry O’Neill’s own account, has never spent a cent on advertising. — Ed Christman, Billboard, 7 Oct. 2026

Minhee told me that public-reporting requirements vary state to state on the eighty-five per cent of the settlement that must be spent on opioid abatement. — Oliver Whang, New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

French, hundred, from Latin centum — more at hundred

First Known Use

Noun

1782, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing cent

• Euro cent
• not one red cent
• per cent
• red cent

Rhymes for cent

• bent
• blent
• ent
• fent
• lent
• meant
• pent
• rent
• rente
• scent
• sent
• spent

Kids Definition

cent

noun

ˈsent

1

: a unit of value equal to ¹⁄₁₀₀ part of a basic unit of money (as of a dollar or euro)

2

: a coin or bill representing one cent

Etymology

Noun

from early French cent "hundred," from Latin centum "hundred"