cent
gb/sˈɛnt/ us/sˈɛnt/
A1
English
~ 2600
Senses
0 senses
Noun
A1
entity
1
One-hundredth of a US dollar
A small coin or amount of money equal to 1/100 of a US dollar.
Usage pattern:
[number] cent(s)
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'cent' with 'pence', which is used in British currency.
Synonyms
penny (In US English, refers to the one-cent coin; 'cent' is more general for the unit.)
Antonyms
dollar (A dollar is 100 times the value of a cent.)
Collocations
fifty cents
|pay in cents
|one cent coin
|costs X cents
Themes
money
|shopping
|daily life
|finance
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The candy costs fifty cents.
- I found a cent on the sidewalk.
- They raised the price by ten cents.
- She paid exactly ninety-nine cents for the item.
Learner examples
- The apple is fifty cents.
- I have one cent in my pocket.
- It costs ten cents to print a page.
- He gave me twenty cents.
Noun
A2
quantity
2
One-hundredth of various currencies
Money that is 1/100 of the main unit in some countries, like the euro or Canadian dollar.
Usage pattern:
[number] cent(s)
Synonyms
centime (Used in some French-speaking countries for the same concept.)
Antonyms
whole unit (Refers to the main currency unit, not its fraction.)
Collocations
euro cents
|Canadian cents
|ten cents each
Themes
money
|international
|finance
|business
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- This stamp costs eighty euro cents.
- The Canadian coin is worth five cents.
- He saved every cent he earned while abroad.
- The phone call cost thirty cents per minute.
Learner examples
- The bread is eighty euro cents.
- In Canada, I paid five cents for a bag.
- It costs twenty cents more in France.
- I have ten cents from Canada.
Noun
B1
quantity
3
Smallest US money unit in prices
The smallest part of a US dollar used in prices or math, equal to 1/100 dollar.
Synonyms
hundredth of a dollar (Describes the value without referring to physical coins.)
Antonyms
whole dollar (Refers to full units instead of fractional ones.)
Collocations
price in cents
|cost per cent
Themes
money
|business
|finance
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The service fee is listed as 25 cents on the bill.
- Gas prices rose by three cents per gallon.
- Each share increased in value by five cents today.
Learner examples
- It costs 99 cents before tax.
- The price went up by two cents.
- My bill had an extra ten cents.
Grammar
Dictionary form
cent
IPA
GB/sˈɛnt/
US/sˈɛnt/
Syllables & stress
cent (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (cent)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: cent
- Plural: cents
Word family
Forms
cents
noun
Core family
percent
noun A2
percentage
noun A2
Related words
century
noun A2
centimeter
noun A2
Advanced or less common
percentile
noun
centennial
adjective
Expressions
every cent counts
1/ˈɛvɹi sˈɛnt kˈaʊnts/
fixed phrase
Even small amounts matter
Every little bit of money is important.
Examples
- We have to save as much as we can—every cent counts.
- When you're on a tight budget, every cent counts.
not worth a cent
1/nˈɑt wˈɚθ ə sˈɛnt/
fixed phrase
Completely without value
Has no value at all.
Examples
- This old phone isn't worth a cent anymore.
- His advice wasn't worth a cent.
put in your two cents
1/pˈʊt ˈɪn jˈʊɹ tˈu sˈɛnts/
idiom
informal
Offer an unsolicited opinion
To say what you think, even if no one asked you.
Examples
- If I can put in my two cents, I think we should wait.
- She always has to put in her two cents during meetings.
spend every last cent
1/spˈɛnd ˈɛvɹi lˈæst sˈɛnt/
fixed phrase
Use all your money completely
To use all your money so you have none left.
Examples
- They spent every last cent on their dream house.
- He spent every last cent he had on travel.