cent

noun

\ ˈsent

Definition of cent

(Entry 1 of 3)

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

abbreviation (1)

Definition of cent (Entry 2 of 3)

1 centigrade

2 central

3 centum

4 century

Cent

abbreviation (2)

Definition of Cent (Entry 3 of 3)

Central

Examples of cent in a Sentence

Noun A dime is worth 10 cents.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Old El Paso, according to its executives, recorded a thirty-per-cent increase in sales in France since February, 2020. — Lauren Collins, The New Yorker, "The Unlikely Rise of the French Tacos," 12 Apr. 2021 French banks had the sharpest post-pandemic rise in their exposure to their own government, which climbed to a record €431bn in September, a jump of more than 18 per cent since February. — Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, "Yellen’s (Proposed) Tax Cartel," 7 Apr. 2021 The agency notes that Arcis never traded higher than about 5 1/2 cents while Fassari was buying, selling and promoting, and often traded for a few tenths of a cent. — Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, "Column: Forget GameStop and short sellers — the SEC says ‘OCMillionaire’ manipulated a worthless stock higher," 16 Mar. 2021 The difference, though, is that those two artworks were sold by collectors, meaning that Hockney and Koons didn’t get a cent. — James Tarmy, Fortune, "A month-old digital artwork just sold for $69 million," 11 Mar. 2021 Yeah, but, even then, my best guess is that the data will show these vaccines reduce transmission by seventy to eighty per cent, but not one hundred per cent. — Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, "Life After Vaccination," 9 Mar. 2021 More people were living into their sixties and seventies, when hearts start to deteriorate; by mid-century, as many as forty per cent of American deaths were caused by heart disease. — Joshua Rothman, The New Yorker, "How to Build an Artificial Heart," 1 Mar. 2021 One study found that local communities in Flint have recorded vaccine take up of less than 20 per cent. — Daphne Ewing-chow, Forbes, "A Recent Survey Casts New Light On America’s Racial And Water Divide," 1 Mar. 2021 And Bandcamp again will waive its share of sales, on March 5, with every cent that day going directly to artists. — Piet Levy, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "8 top Milwaukee songs and albums for March: Wave Chapelle, Immortal Girlfriend, North Breese and more," 1 Mar. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cent.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.