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

PagerDuty earned 33 cents, excluding certain items. —Sarah Min, CNBC, 26 Nov. 2025

This compares to net income of $22 million, or 20 cents per diluted share, in the prior year. —David Moin, Footwear News, 25 Nov. 2025

For the second edition, priced more modestly at 25 cents, one eager distributor placed an order for 250,000—then the largest single purchase in publishing history. —Literary Hub, 25 Nov. 2025

Gas prices are significantly cheaper year-over-year in Colorado (24 cents), Wyoming (19 cents), Hawaii (12 cents), Wisconsin (12 cents), Maryland (9 cents) and North Dakota (9 cents), according to AAA. —Matt Egan, CNN Money, 25 Nov. 2025

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"