I. per‧cent¹ AC (also per cent British English) /pəˈsent $ pər-/ adjective, adverb
[Word Family: noun: precent, percentage; adverb: percent; adjective: percent]

1. 5 percent (5%)/10 percent (10%) etc equal to five, ten etc parts out of a total of 100 parts:
a 10% increase in house prices
a company with a 40 percent stake in the project

2. a/one hundred percent completely:
I agree with you a hundred percent.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. percent² S3 W2 AC (also per cent British English) noun
5 percent (5%)/10 percent (10%) etc an amount equal to five, ten etc parts out of a total of 100 parts:
The bank charges interest at 14%.
5 percent (5%)/10 percent (10%) etc of
Eighty percent of the population voted.
► Percent is only used after a number. If you are referring more generally to part of an amount, use percentage: A high percentage (NOT percent) of the population was illiterate.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲