cent

1 of 3

noun

1
: a monetary unit equal to 1/100 of a basic unit of value (such as dollar, euro, rand) see birr, dollar, euro, leone, lilangeni, nakfa, rand, rupee, shilling at Money Table
2
: a coin, token, or note representing one cent
3
: the fen of the People's Republic of China

cent

2 of 3

abbreviation (1)

Cent

3 of 3

abbreviation (2)

Examples of cent in a Sentence

Noun A dime is worth 10 cents.
Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
For cases where a suspect had been charged, the suspect was male in the case of 90 per cent of female victims, and 91 per cent of male victims. Cerys Jones, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2026 Gas prices in South Florida have soared by more than 20 cents a gallon from a week ago. Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 2026 The twenty-per-cent commitment evaporated, however. Ronan Farrow, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026 The project will mostly be paid with revenue from the county’s one-cent sales tax. Martin E. Comas, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for cent

Word History

Etymology

Noun

French, hundred, from Latin centum — more at hundred

First Known Use

Noun

1782, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cent was in 1782

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cent. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.

Kids Definition

cent

noun
ˈsent
1
: a unit of value equal to ¹⁄₁₀₀ part of a basic unit of money (as of a dollar or euro)
2
: a coin or bill representing one cent
Etymology

Noun

from early French cent "hundred," from Latin centum "hundred"

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