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 The turnout in the election surpassed 70% of eligible voters, according to the Election Commission, with the percentage of people voting in the final hours exceeding the final turnout in 2018, according to official figures. Radina Gigova, CNN, 17 Mar. 2024 Both cities all fell in the top 11 for the percentage of people of Irish descent in the area, with Louisville ranked 9th and Lexington ranked 11th. Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 15 Mar. 2024 Teams ranked six through 10 in the West each have winning percentages between .523 and .585, so there’s bound to be some leap-frogging. Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2024 By adding up all the percentages produced across the country, a systematic pattern of deliberate falsification emerges. Brian Klaas, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2024 The main intoxicating compound in marijuana is delta-9 THC, which can be found in much larger percentages in marijuana plants than in hemp. The Arizona Republic, 14 Mar. 2024 The questionnaire, which can be filled out online and takes less than three minutes, takes into account a handful statistics for women over the age of 35 to estimate their percentage of developing breast cancer both within the next five years and within her life. Margaux Anbouba, Vogue, 13 Mar. 2024 But the office economy – the percentage of jobs in downtowns and the amount of office building construction – has been weakening for decades, says Mr. Kotkin. Sophie Hills, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Mar. 2024 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

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 28 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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