percentage Definition
- 1a rate or proportion per hundred
- 2a share of the profits of an enterprise, usually calculated as a percentage of the revenue
Using percentage: Examples
Take a moment to familiarize yourself with how "percentage" can be used in various situations through the following examples!
Example
The percentage of students who passed the exam is 85%.
Example
The company pays its employees a percentage of the profits.
Example
The percentage of women in the workforce has increased over the years.
percentage Synonyms and Antonyms
Synonyms for percentage
Phrases with percentage
the difference between two percentages, expressed in points rather than as a percentage of one of them
Example
The unemployment rate decreased by 2 percentage points.
percentage increase/decrease
the amount by which a quantity increases or decreases expressed as a percentage of the original amount
Example
There was a 10% increase in sales last quarter.
the difference between an estimated value and the actual value expressed as a percentage of the actual value
Example
The percentage error in the measurement was less than 5%.
Origins of percentage
from Latin 'per centum', meaning 'by the hundred'
Summary: percentage in Brief
The term 'percentage' [pəˈsentɪdʒ] refers to a rate or proportion per hundred, often used to describe the share of profits or the success rate of an event. It can be expressed as a percentage point, percentage increase/decrease, or percentage error. 'Percentage' is a formal term that is commonly abbreviated as 'percent.'
