dividend

American  

[div-i-dend] / ˈdɪv ɪˌdɛnd /

noun

• dividends
  plural

1. Mathematics. a number that is to be divided by a divisor.

2. Law. a sum out of an insolvent estate paid to creditors.

3. Finance.

   1. a pro-rata share in an amount to be distributed.

   2. a sum of money paid to shareholders of a corporation out of earnings.

4. Insurance. (in participating insurance) a distribution to a policyholder of a portion of the premium not needed by the company to pay claims or to meet expenses.

5. a share of anything divided.

   Synonyms:

   portion, allotment

6. anything received as a bonus, reward, or in addition to or beyond what is expected.

   Swimming is fun, and gives you the dividend of better health.

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dividend British  

/ ˈdɪvɪˌdɛnd /

noun

1. finance

   1. a distribution from the net profits of a company to its shareholders

   2. a pro-rata portion of this distribution received by a shareholder

2. the share of a cooperative society's surplus allocated at the end of a period to members

3. insurance a sum of money distributed from a company's net profits to the holders of certain policies

4. something extra; bonus

5. a number or quantity to be divided by another number or quantity Compare divisor

6. law the proportion of an insolvent estate payable to the creditors

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dividend Scientific  

/ dĭv′ĭ-dĕnd′ /

1. A number divided by another. In the equation 15 ÷ 3 = 5, 15 is the dividend.

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dividend Cultural  

1. A payment to the stockholders of a corporation from the corporation's earnings.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• superdividend
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• dividends
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of dividend

First recorded in 1470–80; from Latin dīvidendum “thing to be divided,” neuter gerund of dīvidere “to separate”; see divide

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Explanation

A dividend is a bonus. If you buy a cup of coffee and the shop owner throws in a free muffin, that's a dividend. Your charm and loyal patronage are paying dividends! If you own stock and your company has had a good year, you’ll probably get a dividend — a share of the profit the company pays to shareholders. You've probably also heard the word dividend in math class: if you've got 300 divided by 50, 300 is the dividend (and 50 is the divisor).

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dividend dividends

Bond prices worldwide have enjoyed a nice bounce and old-school dividend paying stocks have too.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

The dividend yield for the S&P 500 is paltry, at just over 1%.

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026

Here is a summary of year-to-date returns, dividend yields and price ratios for the largest six U.S. banks’ stocks, leaving them in the same order as the tables above.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 11, 2026

Utilities have traditionally appealed to investors because of their dividend payouts, but those payments can look less attractive compared to bonds when interest rates rise, said Sosnick.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026

The companies paid high dividends, and their shares were often costly to borrow: New Century, for instance, paid a 20 percent dividend, and its shares cost 12 percent a year to borrow.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

The sector is attractively priced after a lackluster year, and offers healthy dividends and robust earnings growth.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

If you claim at 64 and invest the benefits, the break-even point versus waiting until age 67 depends on your benefit, returns, capital-gains taxes, dividends, and how long you live.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

He argues that focusing on the "science of learning" paid dividends with England's move up international education rankings.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

Nvidia essentially put investors on notice that the cash it deploys into other companies also affects what’s available for buybacks and dividends.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

Fie reminded his impatient supplicant that the full-sized cyclotron of his dreams had important supporters whose backing would yield dividends, if he would simply wait.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

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Related Words

• allowance
• bonus
• coupon
• gain
• premium
• proceeds
• remittance
• reward
• surplus

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