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

Forty percent of their time used to be spent preparing for the call. —Alexa Mikhail, Fortune, 9 July 2025

Woven of 100 percent cotton percale, the 400-threadcount duvet cover is buttery smooth and built to last, with sizes suitable for beds ranging from full to California king. —Maggie Horton, People.com, 9 July 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