lion's share

American  

noun

1. the largest part or share, especially a disproportionate portion.

   The eldest son received the lion's share of the estate.

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lion's share Cultural  

1. A disproportionately large segment of the whole: “Though we always divided our winnings, somehow Barton always seemed to end up with the lion's share.”

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lion's share Idioms  

1. The greater part or most of something, as in Whenever they won a doubles match, Ethel claimed the lion's share of the credit, or As usual, Uncle Bob took the lion's share of the cake. This expression alludes to Aesop's fable about a lion, who got all of a kill because its fellow hunters, an ass, fox, and wolf, were afraid to claim their share. [Late 1700s]

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Etymology

Origin of lion's share

First recorded in 1780–90; probably after Aesop's fable in which the lion claimed all the spoils of a hunt

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lion's share

“Our health insurance and the lion’s share of our income come from screenwriting,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

This is particularly hard to swallow if there are children who have not treated a parent well or if a second spouse inherits the lion’s share of an estate, to the detriment of the children.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026

Enrollment offices are tasked with filling every class and generating the lion’s share of revenue needed to cover school operating expenses.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

Despite previous tariffs increasing costs for manufacturers, car dealerships have absorbed the "lion's share" to date, according to Bernard Yaros, lead economist at Oxford Economics.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

Berkeley attracted the most promising young graduate students, hosted the most eminent visiting lecturers, pocketed the largest contributions from research foundations and garnered the lion’s share of public interest and acclaim.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik