cent

noun \ ˈsent \

|Updated on: 5 Aug 2018

Definition of cent

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

See cent defined for English-language learners

See cent defined for kids

Examples of cent in a Sentence

A dime is worth 10 cents.

Recent Examples of cent from the Web

Shares of General Motors gained 50 cents, or 1.3%, to $39.47 and Ford Motor rose 6 cents, or 0.6%, to 11.05.

— georgi kantchev, WSJ, "U.S. Stocks Rise as Investors Shrug Off Looming Tariffs," 5 July 2018
But their employees’ union —Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association — said some customers had reacted badly to free single-use plastic bags being replaced by 15 Australian cent (11 cent) reusable bags.

— rod mcguirk, The Seattle Times, "Australian supermarket staff attacked in free bag ban anger," 1 July 2018
Jazz today is responsible for only around three per cent of music sales in the United States, and what even that small slice contains is highly questionable.

— aaron gilbreath, Longreads, "The Mr. Memory of Jazz," 6 June 2018
Infrastructure Overlap The Pentagon's audit won’t be counting just dollars and cents, but also buildings and equipment—a fact that may have far-reaching consequences.

— joe pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, "Why the Pentagon Doesn't Know How Much Anything Costs," 4 June 2018
My 2 cents: The RV has got to go if this family is ever to get a grip on managing their money.

— susan tompor, Detroit Free Press, "Save the family RV by cutting elsewhere? Maybe, if kids get their way," 27 Apr. 2018
Women made about 80 cents for every dollar earned by men in 2015, according to US government data.

— sudhin thanawala, The Christian Science Monitor, "Federal court finds pay differences based on prior salaries discriminatory," 10 Apr. 2018
District officials have said that the district gets about five cents of every tax dollar, and that the figure would stay about the same, even with the increase.

— steve lord, Aurora Beacon-News, "Fox Valley Park District tax hike on Tuesday ballot," 16 Mar. 2018
Printed on single sheets and priced cheaply, at between one and five cents, they were usually sent anonymously.

— marilyn yalom, Time, "How the Modern Valentine's Day Card Evolved," 14 Feb. 2018

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.

Origin and Etymology of cent

French, hundred, from Latin centum — more at hundred

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1782

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

cent

abbreviation

Definition of cent

1 centigrade

2 central

3 centum

4 century

Other Weights and Measures Terms

avoirdupois weight, calorie, denier, kip, pace, twain

Cent

abbreviation

Definition of Cent

Central

CENT Defined for English Language Learners

cent

noun

Definition of cent for English Language Learners

: a unit of money that is equal to 1/100 of the basic unit of money in many countries : one percent of a dollar, euro, rupee, etc.

CENT Defined for Kids

cent

noun \ ˈsent \

Definition of cent for Students

1 : a hundredth part of the unit of the money system in a number of different countries

In the United States 100 cents equal one dollar.

2 : a coin, token, or note representing one cent

Word Root of cent

The Latin word centum, meaning “hundred,” gives us the root cent. Words from the Latin centum have something to do with the number 100. A dollar is made up of 100 cents. A century is a period of 100 years. A percent is the portion of something out of 100 parts.