percent

1 of 3

noun

per·​cent pər-ˈsent 

1

US percent or chiefly British per cent plural percent

a

: one part in a hundred

We provided 100 percent [=100%] of the labor.

I spend about 50 percent of my workday in meetings.

b

: percentage

A large percent of their income is used to pay rent.

2

percents plural, British : securities bearing a specified rate of interest

We invested in 3 percents.

percent

2 of 3

adjective

1

: reckoned on the basis of a whole divided into 100 parts

There was a 20 percent [=20%] increase in orders.

The manufacturer hopes to achieve a 10 percent decrease in carbon dioxide emissions.

2

: paying interest at a specified percent

a 4 percent government bond

percent

3 of 3

adverb

: in the hundred : of each hundred

The defendant was found 40 percent at fault.

I agreed with their suggestions one hundred percent.

Examples of percent in a Sentence

Noun

The value has increased half a percent.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Congress established a goal of finding 90 percent of these by the year 2020. —ArsTechnica, 27 June 2025

Ahead of the holiday, the retailer has marked down patio sets, indoor furniture, and outdoor decor up to 89 percent. —Shea Simmons, Southern Living, 27 June 2025

Adjective

There is a 20 or so percent chance of isolated showers but nothing that will be a washout. —Doug Phillips, Sun-Sentinel.com, 27 Apr. 2017

Word History

Etymology

Adverb

earlier per cent, from per + Latin centum hundred — more at hundred

First Known Use

Noun

1721, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Adjective

1888, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

1568, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing percent

• ninety/ninety-nine percent of the time
• percent mark
• percent sign

Rhymes for percent

• accent
• advent
• ascent
• assent
• augment
• cement
• consent
• dement
• descent
• detent
• dissent
• event

Kids Definition

percent

1 of 3 adverb

per·​cent pər-ˈsent 

: in the hundred : of each hundred

percent

2 of 3 adjective

: measured or counted on the basis of a whole divided into one hundred parts

a five percent increase

percent

3 of 3 noun

plural percent or percents

1

: one part in a hundred : hundredth

50 percent of the students

2

: percentage sense 1

a large percent of her allowance