cent

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noun

ˈsent 

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)

1

centigrade

2

central

3

centum

4

century

Cent

3 of 3

abbreviation (2)

Central

Examples of cent in a Sentence

Noun

A dime is worth 10 cents.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Hewlett Packard Enterprise — The enterprise information technology company added 4% after its fiscal third-quarter earnings came in at 44 cents, above the 43 cents analysts polled by LSEG had expected. —Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2025

To put it in different terms, between 2015-16 and 2019-20, the proportion of ‘Big Six’ signings that were from the rest of the Premier League hovered between 11 and 14 per cent. —Oliver Kay, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2025

DraftKings, one of the biggest online sports gambling sites in Illinois, is slapping 50- or 25-cent fees on most bets. —The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 3 Sep. 2025

Trades finalize in three to five seconds, enabling near-instant payment finality, and transaction fees are measured in fractions of a cent. —Sean Lee, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

French, hundred, from Latin centum — more at hundred

First Known Use

Noun

1782, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing cent

• euro cent
• not one red cent
• per cent
• red cent

Rhymes for cent

• bent
• blent
• ent
• fent
• lent
• meant
• pent
• rent
• rente
• scent
• sent
• spent

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"