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Definition of percent

percent

/pərˈsɛnt/
(UK: per cent)
per · cent

Plural:percent
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percent Lexical Profile

percent Game Scores & Validity

• noun

1

One part in every hundred, or a specified number of parts out of a hundred (used following a number to express a proportion or rate).

Example

"Roughly seventy percent of the Earth's surface is covered by water."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for percent

• adverb

1

By a specified amount or rate in or for every hundred.

Example

"Enrollment at the community college increased ten percent over the past academic year."

• adjective

1

Reckoned on the basis of a whole divided into one hundred parts; designating a specified rate or proportion per hundred.

Example

"The municipal government issued a series of four-percent bonds to fund the infrastructure project."

Word Nuance & Usage

While 'percent' is nearly always preceded by a specific number (e.g., 'fifty percent'), 'percentage' is used without a numeral to refer to a general proportion (e.g., 'a large percentage'). In British English, it is frequently spelled as two words, 'per cent'.

• Rhymes for percent

Word Origin & Etymology

Borrowed in the mid-16th century from the Italian phrase 'per cento', or pseudo-Latin 'per centum', literally meaning 'by the hundred'.

Cite this Entry


Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Percent. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/percent
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