a hundred and ten percent

noun

A level of effort beyond what one can usually sustain; great exertion.

“We busted our tails and won; we really gave 110% in that game.”

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nouna hundred and ten percent (uncountable)

alternative 110%

  1. idiomaticinformaluncountableA level of effort beyond what one can usually sustain; great exertion.

    We busted our tails and won; we really gave 110% in that game.

Origin

Based on the metaphor of operating a machine at higher than its rated capacity or exceeding the normal maximum of some rated parameter such as speed or temperature.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Hungarian száztíz százalék
  • száztíz százalékgreat exertion
Russian сто сорок шесть процентов
  • сто сорок шесть процентов (sto sorok šestʹ procentov)great exertion
Swedish hundratio procent
  • hundratio procentgreat exertion
Cite this entry
APA

a hundred and ten percent. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/a%20hundred%20and%20ten%20percent

MLA

“a hundred and ten percent.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/a%20hundred%20and%20ten%20percent. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “a hundred and ten percent,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/a%20hundred%20and%20ten%20percent.

Source: a hundred and ten percent on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.