Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
percentage [per-sen-tij] ExamplesWord Origin See more synonyms for percentage on Thesaurus.com noun
- a rate or proportion per hundred.
- an allowance, commission, or rate of interest calculated by percent.
- a proportion in general: Only a small percentage of the class will graduate with honors.
- gain; benefit; profit; advantage.
Origin of percentage First recorded in 1780–90; percent + -age Related formsper·cent·aged, adjectiveCan be confusedpercent percentage percentile (see usage note at percent)Usage note See percent. Related Words for percentage fee, ratio, bonus, proportion, chunk, rate, interest, percent, duty, cut, division, discount, taste, section, juice, quota, allowance, commission, slice, split Examples from the Web for percentage Contemporary Examples of percentage
By 2012, Democratic President Barack Obama owned the Asian-American vote, winning it by 47 percentage points.
Asian-Americans Are The New Florida
Tim Mak
January 8, 2015
Most importantly, they were all deleted long before that percentage could rise any higher.
The Attack on the Hidden Internet
Marc Rogers
December 29, 2014
About half of Turkers live in the United States, a percentage that is increasing.
Amazon’s Turkers Kick Off the First Crowdsourced Labor Guild
Kevin Zawacki
December 3, 2014
Throughout the state, the percentage of insured doubled in many counties.
Inside the Democrats’ Godawful Midterm Election Wipeout
Michael Tomasky
November 5, 2014
In a now famous clip, Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO) was asked what percentage of Congress smokes.
Can Congress Get Stoned Now That D.C. Has Legalized Marijuana?
Abby Haglage
November 5, 2014
Historical Examples of percentage
He’s dropped into a soft spot—he rates best in the percentage card.
W. A. Fraser
Take any ratio of percentage you please and something should have got us.
Joseph A. Altsheler
I would like to be paid a percentage on the money saved because of my report.’
Robert Barr
Percentage of vote cast in Denver: Males, 57½; females, 42½.
The History of Woman Suffrage, Volume IV
Various
Percentage of vote cast: Males, (nearly) 58½; females, (over) 41½.
The History of Woman Suffrage, Volume IV
Various
British Dictionary definitions for percentage percentage noun
- proportion or rate per hundred parts
- commerce the interest, tax, commission, or allowance on a hundred items
- any proportion in relation to the whole
- informal profit or advantage
Word Origin and History for percentage n.
1789, from percent + -age. Sense of “profit, advantage” is from 1862.