percentage
- 01 B1 Intermediate
a number or rate that shows how much of something there is out of every 100.
a rate, number, or amount in each hundred; a proportion of a total expressed as a fraction of 100.
Simple“A high percentage of the students passed the final exam with top marks.”
In context“The report indicates that a significant percentage of the local population remains underserved by the current public transport infrastructure.”
UsageOften used with 'of' followed by a noun phrase; the verb agreement typically matches the noun following 'of'.
PitfallA large percentage of students is absent. A large percentage of students are absent.When 'percentage of' is followed by a plural noun, the verb should also be plural.
Synonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
a share of the money made from a sale or a business deal.
an allowance, commission, or share of profits or gross receipts.
Simple“The salesperson gets a small percentage of every car they sell.”
In context“The author negotiated a higher percentage of the digital sales as part of her new contract with the publishing house.”
Synonyms - 03 C2 Proficiency
the personal advantage or profit you might get from a situation.
the likelihood of profit, advantage, or success in a particular course of action.
Simple“I don't see much percentage in arguing with him when he's in a bad mood.”
In context“The veteran gambler knew there was no percentage in playing against the house when the odds were so heavily stacked against him.”
Teacher's tipThis sense is relatively rare in modern speech and is mostly found in older literature or specific idioms like 'there is no percentage in...'.
Usage percentage points · average percentage · greater percentage
From percent, from Latin per centum (“for every hundred”), + -age (suffix indicating a rate).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.