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

The letter said the deal would allow Brown-Forman investors to roll over shares into a company with “significant upside” and a higher dividend payout than the current offering.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

Bank of America rose after increasing its quarterly dividend 14% to 32 cents a share.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

The $300 dividend, I hope, pales in comparison, even though you were obviously confused and disappointed to miss out on the dividend.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026

So, the dividend outlook is likely to dominate Beach’s FY26 result.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

He knew there were thousands more, but he stopped there—best to leave things on a dividend of three.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

Euroz Hartleys is more optimistic than the market about Beach Energy’s dividends in FY26.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

Momentum investing has paid huge dividends over time, and it is strongly endorsed by academic research, but the returns can be lumpy — you will occasionally get a very nasty spell of underperformance.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026

And it stands apart among insurers for the way it has used variable annual dividends, in addition to fixed quarterly dividends, to distribute excess capital.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

Progressive paid $8 billion variable dividends for 2025, three times its 2024 payout.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

Thus both Luria and Delbruck hoped the Copenhagen lab would be the place where the combined techniques of chemistry and genetics might eventually yield real biological dividends.

From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson

Related Words

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