What does "percent" mean?
A percentage, a proportion (especially per hundred).
Percent
/ˈpə(ː)(r)seɳʈ/ adv, noun, prep_phrase
adv, noun, prep_phrase ·Uncommon ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A percentage, a proportion (especially per hundred).
- Grammar: percent is listed as adv, noun, prep_phrase.
- Nearest alternatives: percentage, event frequency, fraction, one hundredth.
- Useful contrasts: absolute, absolute amount, fixed quantity.
- Usage evidence: More than 90 percent of visits to a web page are from search engines.
How to use "percent"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "percent" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "percent" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "percent" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "percent" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "percent" is acting as adv, noun, prep_phrase in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "percentage" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "percent", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A percentage, a proportion (especially per hundred).
"only a small percent attain the top ranks"
- 2 a proportion in relation to a whole (which is usually the amount per hundred); ten percent wordnet
- 3 One part per hundred; one percent, hundredth.
"And from 1966, under Regulation Q, there was a ceiling of 5.5 per cent on their deposit rates, a quarter of a per cent more than banks were allowed to pay."
- 4 The percent sign, %.
- 5 An annuity or security with a certain fixed and guaranteed annual percentage rate of return or percentage dividend.
"[…]Several stocks in the Three Per Cents and Three Per Cents Reduced to be transferred into the name and to the credit of the prosecutor, without any authority to him (the traverser) to sell, negotiate, transfer or pledge the said 9000l. Three-and-a-Quarter per Cent. Annuities."
Adverb
- 1 For every hundred (used with preceding numeral to form a noun phrase expressing a proportion). not-comparable
"Diane Watson has had a distinguished career in education and politics, and last year was elected to the House of Representatives, winning 75 percent of the vote in her Congressional district."
Prep_phrase
- 1 Per hundred.
"By how many percent did the cancer survival rate for breast cancer increase by 2008?"
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"More than 90 percent of visits to a web page are from search engines."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "percent"?
Common synonyms include: percentage, event frequency, fraction, one hundredth, pct, per centum.
How do you use "percent" in a sentence?
More than 90 percent of visits to a web page are from search engines.
How do you pronounce "percent"?
Pronounced /ˈpə(ː)(r)seɳʈ/.
Etymology
From New Latin per centum (“by the hundred”).