View synonyms for per

per

[ pur; unstressed per ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

preposition

for each; for every:
Membership costs ten dollars per year. This cloth is two dollars per yard.
by means of; by; through:
I am sending the recipe per messenger.
Also . according to; in accordance with:
I delivered the box per your instructions.
He managed to monopolize the meeting, per usual.

adverb

Informal. each; for each one:
The charge for window-washing was five dollars per.

per-

a prefix meaning “through,” “thoroughly,” “utterly,” “very”: pervert; pervade; perfect.
Chemistry. a prefix used in the names of inorganic acids and their salts that possess the maximum amount of the element specified in the base word: percarbonic (H 2 C 2 O 5 ), permanganic (HMnO 4 ), persulfuric (H 2 S 2 O 8 ), acids; potassium permanganate (KMnO 4 ); potassium persulfate (K 2 S 2 O 8 ).

per.

abbreviation for

percentile.
period.
person.

Per.

⁴

abbreviation for

Persia.
Persian.

per

/ pə; pɜː /

determiner

for every
three pence per pound

preposition

(esp in some Latin phrases) by; through
as per
according to
as per specifications
as per usual informal.
as usual

PER

abbreviation for

Professional Employment Register

per-

prefix

through
pervade
throughout
perennial
away, beyond
perfidy
completely, throughly
perplex
(intensifier)
perfervid
indicating that a chemical compound contains a high proportion of a specified element
peroxide
perchloride
indicating that a chemical element is in a higher than usual state of oxidation
perchlorate
permanganate
not in technical usage a variant of peroxy-
persulphuric acid

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Usage Note

Per meaning a or an or for each occurs chiefly in technical or statistical contexts: miles per gallon; work-hours per week; feet per second; gallons of beer per person per year. It is also common in sports commentary: He averaged 16 points per quarter. Per is sometimes criticized in business writing in the sense “according to” and is rare in literary writing.

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Word History and Origins

Origin of per¹

First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin: “through, by, for, for each”; for

Origin of per²

From Latin, combining form of per, and used as an intensive; per

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Word History and Origins

Origin of per¹

C15: from Latin: by, for each

Origin of per²

from Latin per through

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Example Sentences

The Institute for Public Policy Research think tank reported in 2024 that per asylum seeker, costs had increased by 141% to £41,000 last year - up from £17,000 in 2019-20.

From BBC

Will ranchers be able to graze livestock for $1.35 per head per month?

From Los Angeles Times

For example, soil with 1,000 parts per million of lead is considered toxic by the state.

From Los Angeles Times

The list price is around £2,000 per tablet, but it is not clear how much the NHS is paying since it can negotiate discounts with drug companies.

From BBC

And Yates has been been one of the best guards in the Big Ten since then, averaging 16.5 points per game.

From Los Angeles Times

Pequot War Pera

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