cent

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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

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abbreviation (2)

Central

Examples of cent in a Sentence

Noun

A dime is worth 10 cents.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Two exceptions to that rule are Chase Ultimate Rewards® and Wells Fargo Rewards, which both allow point transfers (with the right credit card) and 1-cent-per-point cash redemptions via statement credits or deposits into eligible bank accounts. —Jason Stauffer, CNBC, 25 May 2026

No club in the top four divisions spent a smaller proportion of their revenues on wages than Tottenham, with a ratio for last season of just 45 per cent. —Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 25 May 2026

The death rate is as high as fifty per cent. —Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 24 May 2026

Voters overwhelmingly rejected the ballot measure that asked them whether to raise the state gas tax by 6 cents to 46 cents a gallon. —Claire Rush, Fortune, 23 May 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"