percentage

noun

per·​cent·​age pər-ˈsen-tij How to pronounce percentage (audio)
1
a
: a part of a whole expressed in hundredths
a high percentage of students attended
b
: the result obtained by multiplying a number by a percent
the percentage equals the rate times the base
2
a
: a share of winnings or profits
b
: advantage, profit
no percentage in going around looking like an old sack of laundryWallace Stegner
3
: an indeterminate part : proportion
4
b
: favorable odds

Examples of percentage in a Sentence

If a goalie saves 96 out of 100 shots, his save percentage is 96 percent. The percentages of women completing high school and college were 95 percent and 52 percent, respectively. What percentage of your income do you spend on rent?
Recent Examples on the Web Elite at guarding the long ball: K-State ranks No. 38 in opponent three-point percentage (31.1). Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2024 For instance, in our survey, the percentage of Americans who are hopeful for the future of the country drops from 62% among those who say their mental health is good to 32% among those who say their mental health is poor. Clay Routledge, Fortune, 4 Mar. 2024 There’s a high percentage of corn in the mashbill, but the predominance of wheat gives this whiskey a nice sweetness without completely covering up the spice. Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 3 Mar. 2024 The percentage of results in is an estimate from the AP. NPR, 3 Mar. 2024 Among 18 goalies who have made at least 10 starts in that span, the second-best save percentage on high-danger shots belongs to the St. Louis Blues’ Jordan Binnington ... at .889. ▪ 1.49: Bobrovsky has a 1.49 goals against average (goals per 60 minutes played) over these 10 games. Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 3 Mar. 2024 That’s still a sizable gap considering that just one percentage equals more than a million workers. Bryan Mena, CNN, 3 Mar. 2024 The percentage of kindergarten students who submitted the form fell to 91.7% in the 2021 to 2022 school year, according to a Florida Department of Public Health report. Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY, 2 Mar. 2024 That percentage has now dwindled to less than 25% of the workforce, based on IAM/International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers District 751/Washington State membership rolls. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 22 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'percentage.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1757, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of percentage was in 1757

Dictionary Entries Near percentage

Cite this Entry

“Percentage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/percentage. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

percentage

noun
per·​cent·​age pər-ˈsent-ij How to pronounce percentage (audio)
1
a
: a part of a whole expressed in hundredths
a high percentage of students attended
b
: the result obtained by multiplying a number by a percent
the percentage equals the rate times the base
2
a
: probability sense 3a
play the percentages
b
: favorable odds

More from Merriam-Webster on percentage

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