per‧cen‧tage W3 AC /pəˈsentɪdʒ $ pər-/ noun
[Word Family: noun: precent, percentage; adverb: percent; adjective: percent]

1. [uncountable and countable] an amount expressed as if it is part of a total which is 100
percentage of
The percentage of school leavers that go to university is about five per cent.
Tax is paid as a percentage of total income.
high/low/small percentage
A high percentage of married women have part-time jobs.
Interest rates fell by six percentage points (=6%).
The numbers are small in percentage terms (=when calculated as a percentage).
percentage change/increase etc
Crime figures showed significant percentage increases.
GRAMMAR
If the noun that follows a percentage of is plural, use a plural verb after it:
Only a small percentage of people are interested in politics.

2. [countable usually singular] a share of the profits:
She gets a percentage for every record sold.

3. there is no percentage in doing something British English informal used to say that doing something is not going to help or be useful:
There’s no percentage in worrying.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

percentage
noun
ADJ. high, large The area has a high percentage of unemployed men.
low, small
VERB + PERCENTAGE calculate | express sth as This figure can be expressed as a percentage of the total.
PERCENTAGE + NOUN point Unemployment has fallen by two percentage points this month.
rate Insurance contributions are paid at a fixed percentage rate on all earnings.
figure | increase, rise the percentage rise in the average salary
decline, fall, reduction | share
PREP. ~ of What percentage of women own a car?
PHRASES in percentage terms The numbers are relatively low in percentage terms.
on a percentage basis The artist's agent receives commission on a percentage basis.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

percentage

high/large
A high percentage of our students pass the exam.
small/low
Only a small percentage of people suffer from the allergy.
significant
We get a significant percentage of our oil from Nigeria and Angola.
a percentage point (=one percent)
The party increased its share of the vote by almost 4 percentage points.
a percentage increase/change
Poorer pensioners experienced the greatest percentage increase in their pensions.
in percentage terms
The quantity of carbon dioxide was, in percentage terms, extremely small.
express something as a percentage
The number is expressed as a percentage of the total population of the country.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

percentage
noun
BAD: Only a small percentage of the windmills still works.
GOOD: Only a small percentage of the windmills still work.

Usage Note:
If the noun after percentage of is plural, the verb is plural: 'A high percentage of these school leavers have no qualifications.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲