over fifty percent

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "over fifty percent" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when referring to a quantity that exceeds half of a total amount, often in contexts like statistics, surveys, or voting results. Example: "In the recent survey, over fifty percent of participants expressed satisfaction with the new policy."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

48 human-written examples

Statewide, Democrats say they have over fifty percent of the number of petitions they need to recall eight Republican state senators, although they are not over the fifty percent threshold in every district.

The Washington Post

Over fifty percent of the human genome is comprised of repeat sequences [ 16], making it the first repeat-rich genome to be sequenced.

BMC Genomics

Over fifty percent of processing, focusing on Concord juice, jams and jellies, also takes place in Chautauqua County.

Cornell University

And finally, over fifty percent of all the teachers who have completed the program report that their units have been successful with their least advanced students.

Yale University

After 40 years of expanded specialty training in Malawi, the medical workforce would be over fifty percent larger with over six times the number of specialists compared to current trends.

Social Science & Medicine

Much more because they're great fun, and because one learns about the realities of the classroom from which over fifty percent of the Yale students one is later going to teach are coming.

Yale University

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

12 human-written examples

Business Class travelers are just over eighteen percent of passengers, but now they get only fifteen percent of the space.

The Economist

While they constituted less than five percent of mortgage origination between 2000 and 2002, they exploded to over twenty percent between 2003 and 2006 (and were over twenty-five percent by 2005).

Huffington Post

Thirty-three percent of House members were near-pure centrists in 1955; in 2004, just over eight percent fit that category.

The New York Times

The fraction is currently over ten percent, and steadily rising.

Harvard University

They were a little over seven percent, seven point two percent, in the November 2018 election.

University of California, Berkeley

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

For increased readability in formal writing, consider using "more than half" instead of the numerical percentage.

Common error

Avoid stating "over fifty percent" when the actual percentage is significantly higher (e.g., 90%). Using a more accurate description, such as "nearly all", would be more appropriate and informative.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "over fifty percent" functions as a quantitative adjective phrase, modifying a noun or pronoun to indicate a proportion greater than half of a total. Ludwig's examples show its use in various contexts such as political analysis, scientific research, and general statistics.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

42%

Science

30%

Academia

28%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Wiki

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "over fifty percent" is a common and grammatically correct way to express a proportion exceeding half of a given total. As Ludwig indicates, it's widely used across diverse contexts, including news, science, and academia. While alternatives like "more than half" exist, "over fifty percent" provides numerical precision, especially valuable in formal or technical writing. However, ensure clarity by explicitly defining the subject the percentage refers to. When you need to convey that a proportion of something is slightly bigger than the half, this phrase can be useful.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

more than half

Replaces numerical precision with a general quantifier. The phrases are interchangeable most of the times.

greater than 50%

Uses a mathematical expression instead of words. It is useful in tables, math papers and technical contexts.

exceeding fifty percent

Emphasizes the act of surpassing a specific threshold. It might sound a bit more formal than "over fifty percent".

above fifty percent

Offers a slightly more formal alternative to "over".

in excess of fifty percent

A more emphatic way of stating that the quantity is greater than fifty percent.

a majority

Conveys that the quantity is more than half, without specifying the exact percentage. It's typically used when the number is not of key importance.

more than half of the

Specifies that more than half of a particular group or item is being referred to. This might be clearer than using "over fifty percent" alone.

fifty-one percent or more

Specifies the minimum percentage possible when something is over fifty percent. It is useful when you must be precise on the lowest acceptable percentage.

a significant portion

Highlights the importance of a part of the total without any precise percentage. This phrase doesn't necessarily mean that it's "over fifty percent".

a large fraction

Indicates that a considerable part of the total is being discussed. This phrase doesn't necessarily mean that it's "over fifty percent".

FAQs

What does "over fifty percent" mean?

The phrase "over fifty percent" means more than half of a total amount or quantity. It indicates that the proportion is greater than 50%.

What can I say instead of "over fifty percent"?

You can use alternatives like "more than half", "greater than 50%", or "a majority" depending on the context.

Is it more appropriate to say "over fifty percent" or "more than half"?

Both phrases are correct, but "more than half" may be preferable in less formal contexts for readability. "Over fifty percent" is suitable for situations where numerical precision is important.

When should I use "over fifty percent" instead of "a majority"?

Use "over fifty percent" when you need to specify a numerical percentage. Use "a majority" when the exact percentage is not important and you simply want to convey that more than half is involved.