Percentage
pərˈsentɪdʒ
Definitions
A rate, number, or amount in each hundred.
pərˈsentɪdʒ
A proportion or share in relation to a whole.
The sales tax is a percentage of the purchase price.
💡 Simply: Imagine a pizza cut into 100 slices. If you eat 25 slices, you've eaten 25% of the pizza! It's a way to show how much of something you have compared to the whole.
👶 For kids: A part of something out of 100.
More Examples
What percentage of the population is vaccinated?
He got a high percentage on the test.
How It's Used
"Calculating discounts and interest rates."
"Reporting survey results."
"Describing market share."
Idioms & expressions
a small percentage
A relatively low proportion or share.
"Only a small percentage of applicants were accepted."
a large percentage
A relatively high proportion or share.
"A large percentage of the profits were reinvested."
From French *pour cent* meaning 'for a hundred'. The word entered English in the 16th century, initially used in the context of interest rates and finances.
The word 'percentage' has evolved from its financial origins to be used in various contexts, especially in statistics and general communication to represent proportions.
Memory tip
Think of 'per cent' - out of a hundred.
Word Origin
"pour cent (for a hundred)"