percentile

noun

per·​cen·​tile pər-ˈsen-ˌtī(-ə)l How to pronounce percentile (audio)
: 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

Examples of percentile in a Sentence

His height and weight are in the 80th percentile for boys his age.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Crow-Armstrong’s fielding range, according to Statcast, placed him in the 100th percentile of major-league defenders. Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025 According to Cleaning the Glass, just 26% of Adebayo’s shot attempts this season have come at the rim (26th percentile among NBA bigs) while 36% of his shots this season have come from three-point range (78th percentile among NBA bigs). Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 31 Oct. 2025 Hoffman — who ranks in the 97th percentile in baseball in chase percentage, 90th percentile in whiff percentage and 88th percentile in K percentage — led the majors with 59 games finished this season (33 saves). Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 24 Oct. 2025 Rafaela ranked 99th percentile in Fielding Run Value and Outs Above Average, 97th percentile in Arm Strength and 92nd percentile in sprint speed. Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 23 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for percentile

Word History

First Known Use

1885, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of percentile was in 1885

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Percentile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/percentile. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.

Medical Definition

percentile

noun
per·​cen·​tile pər-ˈsen-ˌtīl How to pronounce percentile (audio)
: 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

More from Merriam-Webster on percentile

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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