percentage point

noun

: one hundredth of a whole : percent
interest rates rose one percentage point from 6.5 percent to 7.5 percent

Examples of percentage point in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Crowley eked out a primary win by less than half a percentage point in August, and Tiffany is banking on low turnout among Democrats. — ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026 Odds for a rate rise before the end of the year increased to better than 96%, with a near 50-50 chance of the Fed boosting rates by half a percentage point by December. — Jeff Cox, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2026 Goldman Sachs estimated in a report Tuesday that the AI buildout has added about a half-percentage point to the annual inflation rate, according to the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge. — Christopher Rugaber, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026 Gillen’s district voted for Harris by a narrow 1 percentage point, meanwhile. — Lauren Green, The Washington Examiner, 8 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for percentage point

Word History

First Known Use

1958, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of percentage point was in 1958

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Percentage point.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/percentage%20point. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster