percent

adverb per·cent \ pər-ˈsent \

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1568

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

In Greater Cincinnati: Warren County saw the largest percent increase in overdose deaths from 2015 to 2016.

— jona ison, Cincinnati.com, "Ohio drug overdose deaths more than double, thanks to fentanyl," 30 Aug. 2017
Less than 10 percent of test-takers passed the ninth-grade English/language arts exam this year, according to data posted on the Report Card site — data on that exam was only available for this year.

— david anderson, The Aegis, "Harford students again shine on PARCC tests," 25 Aug. 2017
In Montgomery County that percentage is just over 10 percent.

— trisha powell crain, AL.com, "Alabama BOE member: 'I never considered institutionalizing special ed students'," 24 Aug. 2017
The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index fell as much as 0.3 percent.

— jessica summers, Bloomberg.com, "Oil Climbs as Stockpile Drop Allays Worries Over Summer's End," 23 Aug. 2017
Participants in the Section 8 voucher program would need to pay at least 17 percent more of their income toward rent, and there’d likely be a couple hundred thousand fewer vouchers nationwide (and 13,000 fewer in New York City).

— alec macgillis, Daily Intelligencer, "Is Anybody Home at HUD?," 22 Aug. 2017
Voluntary removals increased by more than 200 percent in each of the detention centers.

— kate morrissey, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Immigration processing speeds up in San Diego area courts," 18 Aug. 2017
These payments are separate from the subsidies offered as tax credits to help consumers pay their marketplace plan premiums, which are available to people earning up to 400 percent of the poverty level.

— phil galewitz, Kaiser Health News, "CBO: Killing Cost-Sharing Subsidies Would Hike Silver Plan Premiums And Deficit," 15 Aug. 2017
Forty-seven percent of those polled had no opinion on the 33-year-old billionaire.

— maya kosoff, The Hive, "Dear God: Mark Zuckerberg Has Hired Clinton’s Chief Strategist," 3 Aug. 2017

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

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

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.