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percentage

Pronunciation: /pəˈsɛntɪdʒ/

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Definition of percentage

noun

  • a rate, number, or amount in each hundred:the percentage of Caesareans at the hospital was three per cent higher than the national average [as modifier]:a large percentage increase
  • any proportion or share in relation to a whole:only a tiny percentage of the day trippers are aware of the village’s gastronomic distinction
  • an amount, such as an allowance or commission, that is a proportion of a larger sum of money:I hope to be on a percentage
  • [mass noun] informal personal benefit or advantage:I don’t see the percentage in selling perfectly good furniture

Phrases

play the percentages (or the percentage game)

informal choose a safe and methodical course of action when calculating the odds in favour of success: Labour has been content to play the percentage game, keeping quiet when possible instead of a bright new era we can expect a diet of pragmatism and playing the percentages
[referring to the calculated percentage of success from statistics]

percentage in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of percentage in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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