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.
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
: 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
Drew Harwell, Washington Post, 7 Apr. 2024
The Heat missed its first 10 three-point attempts on the way to shooting just 2 of 16 (12.5 percent) from three-point range in the first half.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2024
More than 2,000 Amazon shoppers picked it up on sale this month, but only Prime members can snag it for a whopping 56 percent off right now.
—Clara McMahon, Peoplemag, 6 Apr. 2024
According to Bloomberg, the figures show the share of Meta’s revenue that comes from Instagram has jumped from 26 percent in 2020 to almost 30 percent in the first six months of 2022.
—Richard Lawler, The Verge, 6 Apr. 2024
Its Rotten Tomatoes score initially hovered around 94 percent; is is currently at 86 percent after more reviews came in.
—Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Apr. 2024
For instance, do animals still seem to react if the sun is only 90 or 95 percent covered?
—Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Apr. 2024
What about the farmers who use about 80 percent of the Colorado River, compared with the sliver Las Vegas gets?
—Daniel Rothberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Mar. 2024
Trump owns 60 percent of Trump Media, or roughly 78 million shares, a stake now worth more than $4.6 billion.
—Drew Harwell, Washington Post, 26 Mar. 2024
Doug Phillips, Sun-Sentinel.com, 27 Apr. 2017
Noun
Donald Trump Trump is Trump Media’s biggest shareholder, with 57.3 percent of the company, or 78.7 million shares — a stake worth about $3.2 billion based on the stock’s closing price Friday.
—Drew Harwell, Washington Post, 7 Apr. 2024
The Heat missed its first 10 three-point attempts on the way to shooting just 2 of 16 (12.5 percent) from three-point range in the first half.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2024
More than 2,000 Amazon shoppers picked it up on sale this month, but only Prime members can snag it for a whopping 56 percent off right now.
—Clara McMahon, Peoplemag, 6 Apr. 2024
According to Bloomberg, the figures show the share of Meta’s revenue that comes from Instagram has jumped from 26 percent in 2020 to almost 30 percent in the first six months of 2022.
—Richard Lawler, The Verge, 6 Apr. 2024
Its Rotten Tomatoes score initially hovered around 94 percent; is is currently at 86 percent after more reviews came in.
—Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Apr. 2024
For instance, do animals still seem to react if the sun is only 90 or 95 percent covered?
—Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Apr. 2024
What about the farmers who use about 80 percent of the Colorado River, compared with the sliver Las Vegas gets?
—Daniel Rothberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Mar. 2024
Trump owns 60 percent of Trump Media, or roughly 78 million shares, a stake now worth more than $4.6 billion.
—Drew Harwell, Washington Post, 26 Mar. 2024
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
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'percent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near percent
Cite this Entry
“Percent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/percent. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share