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.

---

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.”

---

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]

---

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

One sector in particular has driven the lion’s share of jobs growth in 2025: education and health services.

From The Wall Street Journal

You will likely pay significant income tax on your RMDs assuming you have the lion’s share of that $6.4 million in tax-deferred retirement accounts.

From MarketWatch

Part of the move is the broadening of the market rally: While AI accounted for the lion’s share of the gains in this bull market, investors have recently been shifting their attention elsewhere.

From Barron's

According to McKinsey & Co., the total quantum industry — computing, communications and sensing — could grow into a $97 billion market by 2035, with quantum computing constituting the lion’s share.

From MarketWatch

However, the decline in activity in October was driven by a weaker services sector, which comprises the lion’s share of the British economy, including a 1.1% fall in retail trade.

From The Wall Street Journal