percent
n. · adv.-
1 a proportion out of 100 (n.) A2 Elementary Academic Mathone part in every hundred.
one one-hundredth part of a whole; often used to describe a specific proportion or rate.
ExampleOnly ten percent of the class passed the difficult exam.
ExampleA significant percent of the annual budget is allocated to research and development to ensure long-term competitiveness.
UsageIn formal writing, 'percent' is usually written out as a word, while '%' is preferred in technical or scientific data.
PitfallA large percent of the students was late.A large percent of the students were late.When 'percent of' is followed by a plural noun, use a plural verb.
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2 for every hundred (adv.) A2 Elementary American English Academic Mathfor or out of every hundred.
by or for every hundred; used after a numeral to indicate a proportion.
ExampleThe price of bread increased by five percent last month.
ExampleThe population grew by nearly three percent annually during the decade, placing immense pressure on local infrastructure.
UsageIn American English, 'percent' is the standard spelling for both the noun and adverb; British English often uses 'per cent' as two words.
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3 the symbol % (n.) B2 Upper Intermediate Technical Computingthe symbol % used in writing and math.
the typographical character or sign (%) representing a percentage.
ExampleYou need to type the percent sign after the number in the spreadsheet.
ExampleThe software requires the user to escape the percent character when it appears within a text string to avoid a processing error.
- percentage sign
From New Latin per centum (“by the hundred”).