percent

adverb per·cent \ pər-ˈsent \

|Updated on: 10 Aug 2018

Examples: percent in a Sentence

Definition of percent

: in the hundred : of each hundred

See percent defined for kids

Origin and Etymology of percent

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

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First Known Use: 1568

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

Other Mathematics and Statistics Terms

abscissa, denominator, divisor, equilateral, exponent, hypotenuse, logarithm, oblique, radii, rhomb

percent

noun

Definition of percent

plural percent or percents

1 plural percent

a : one part in a hundred

b : percentage

a large percent of their income

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

See percent defined for English-language learners

Examples of percent in a Sentence

The value has increased half a percent.

Recent Examples of percent from the Web

Mexico is also the United States’ third-largest trading partner for goods, with the U.S. buying about 80 percent of Mexico’s exports, including automobiles, fruit, vegetables and beer.

— susannah george, BostonGlobe.com, "We can’t afford to replace empathy with apathy," 13 July 2018
Connecticut Water shares were up a half-percent, to $65.80.

— stephen singer, courant.com, "Connecticut Water: Eversource Pushes 'Misinformation Campaign' In Purchase Attempt," 13 July 2018
Republicans held almost a 5-point advantage over Democrats in party registration, about 38 to 33 percent, but another 29 percent of voters were registered as independent or third party.

— steven lemongello, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Congress District 6: Where 6 candidates stand on issues," 13 July 2018
Southwest Key has said that about 10 percent of the children at its 27 facilities in Arizona, California, and Texas fit that profile.

— jean guerrero, Glamour, "We've Seen Pictures of Undocumented Boys in Government Facilities. Where Are the Girls?," 13 July 2018
Native American and Pacific Islander students made up less than 1 percent of transfer admissions, and some applicants did not report their race or ethnicity.

— lauren hernandez, SFChronicle.com, "UC admits record number of transfer students for fall," 12 July 2018
The airport's revenues in fiscal 2017 rose more than 4 percent, to $294 million.

— ely portillo, charlotteobserver, "Charlotte’s airport manages ‘tricky balance’ between low-cost hub and fancy new gates," 12 July 2018
The bill would reduce the number of live sheep and calves imported from Australia and Europe by at least 25 percent per year, with a goal of phasing out the practice altogether within three years.

— Jewish Journal, "New bill will end Israeli imports of live animals for meat," 11 July 2018
Permits to build single-family homes and duplexes fell slightly more than 1 percent in Dane County, to 644 from 651.

— paul gores, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Home building slows in metro Milwaukee during the first half of the year," 10 July 2018

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

First Known Use of percent

1667

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Other Mathematics and Statistics Terms

abscissa, denominator, divisor, equilateral, exponent, hypotenuse, logarithm, oblique, radii, rhomb

percent

adjective

Definition of percent

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

2 : paying interest at a specified percent

Recent Examples of percent from the Web

There is a 20 or so percent chance of isolated showers but nothing that will be a washout.

— doug phillips, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Summer already? Feels like it," 27 Apr. 2017

First Known Use of percent

1888

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Other Mathematics and Statistics Terms

abscissa, denominator, divisor, equilateral, exponent, hypotenuse, logarithm, oblique, radii, rhomb

PERCENT Defined for English Language Learners

percent

noun

Definition of percent for English Language Learners

: one part in a hundred : an amount that is equal to one one-hundredth of something
: a part of a whole

PERCENT Defined for Kids

percent

adjective or adverb per·cent \ pər-ˈsent \

Definition of percent for Students

: out of every hundred : measured by the number of units as compared with one hundred a 15 percent raise My rent was raised 15 percent.

percent

noun

Definition of percent for Students

plural percent

: a part or fraction of a whole expressed in hundredths Ten percent of the class failed the test.

Word Root of percent

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.