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

Etymology

Origin of dividend

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

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

On her numbers, Samsung is trading on a fiscal 2027 price-to-earnings multiple of just 3.6 times, with a dividend yield of 6.63% and a return on equity of 51.9%.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026

The headroom figure is important, because no company wants to cut its dividend payout.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026

Changes to bank capital rules should cushion much of the impact for some banks, while dividend reinvestment plans could help preserve capital, they say.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

The sportswear giant has always been loyal to its annual dividend, even in rough patches—like now.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

He noted how high the company’s dividend was and wondered if he should buy some of its stock for himself.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

Over the past six years from fiscal 2021, the company has returned around 13 billion pounds to shareholders through dividends and share buybacks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

This is money that can be used do things like to pay dividends, buy back shares or fund acquisitions.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026

"Some of those growing relationships, such as Canada's rapidly expanding relationship with the EU, could produce real dividends," she added.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

The addition of new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel has yet to pay dividends.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 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

Related Words

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