percentile

noun per·cen·tile \ pər-ˈsen-ˌtī(-ə)l \

Updated on: 25 Apr 2018

Definition of percentile

: a value on a scale of 100 that indicates the percent of a distribution that is equal to or below it

a score in the 95th percentile

See percentile defined for English-language learners

Examples of percentile in a Sentence

His height and weight are in the 80th percentile for boys his age.

Recent Examples of percentile from the Web

Someone like Anderson Cooper could earn a high C while Bill Burr or a business like McDonald’s would rank in the 76th percentile.

— michael harriot, The Root, "We Need a Yelp for Rating White People," 19 Apr. 2018
The school says the approach has helped increase enrollment and improve the quality of students, with 40% of the current freshman class scoring at least in the 93rd percentile on the ACT.

— melissa korn, WSJ, "Prizes for Everyone: How Colleges Use Scholarships to Lure Students," 17 Apr. 2018
Thaddeus Young, Myles Turner, Domantas Sabonis, Darren Collison and Victor Oladipo all rank in the 70th percentile or better in terms of points allowed per possession and as a team the Pacers rank No.

— neil greenberg, chicagotribune.com, "The Golden State Warriors should be on upset alert as playoffs begin," 13 Apr. 2018
In 2015, the report says the gap was smallest among the nation's lowest-earning workers -- women in the 10th percentile of earners nationwide were paid 92 percent of men's wages.

— jennifer larino, NOLA.com, "Here's why you can't 'explain away' the gender wage gap in Louisiana, U.S., report says," 10 Apr. 2018
The ultra-selective institution is widely considered the finest high school in the Los Angeles area, with the student body’s average SAT score hovering around 2100—a score that falls between the 96th and 97th percentile nationally.

— daniel rapaport, SI.com, "Baseball's 'Harvard' of the West: How Three Elite High School Teammates Became Big Leaguers," 28 Feb. 2018
The largest difference for the top percentile in Amazon’s report was within its London Development Center unit, where just 8.2 percent of the highest earners are women.

— BostonGlobe.com, "Facebook, Amazon reveal gender pay gap in UK workforces," 30 Mar. 2018
Look for tutors who have scored in the 95th percentile.

— gerald bradshaw, Post-Tribune, "Devote ample study time to SAT," 30 Mar. 2018
Insurance companies must pay at the 80th percentile of what providers in the market receive generally.

— Anchorage Daily News, "The moment has probably passed for Alaska health care reform. The future is here.," 25 Mar. 2018

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

First Known Use of percentile

1885

in the meaning defined above

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PERCENTILE Defined for English Language Learners

percentile

noun

Definition of percentile for English Language Learners

: one of 100 equal parts that a group of people can be divided into in order to rank them

Medical Dictionary

percentile

noun per·cen·tile \ pər-ˈsen-ˌtīl \

medical Definition of percentile

: a value on a scale of one hundred that indicates the percent of a distribution that is equal to or below it

a percentile score of 95 is a score equal to or better than 95 percent of the scores

Learn More about percentile

See words that rhyme with percentile Nglish: Translation of percentile for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of percentile for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about percentile

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percentile

Definition of percentile

Examples of percentile in a Sentence

Recent Examples of percentile from the Web

First Known Use of percentile

PERCENTILE Defined for English Language Learners

percentile

Definition of percentile for English Language Learners

Medical Dictionary

percentile

medical Definition of percentile

Learn More about percentile

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percentile

Definition of percentile

Examples of percentile in a Sentence

Recent Examples of percentile from the Web

First Known Use of percentile

PERCENTILE Defined for English Language Learners

percentile

Definition of percentile for English Language Learners

Medical Dictionary

percentile

medical Definition of percentile

Learn More about percentile

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