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• equity
  equity

  noun

  the quality of being fair or impartial; fairness; impartiality.
• Equity
  Equity

  noun

  the actors' trade union

equity

American  

[ek-wi-tee] / ˈɛk wɪ ti /

noun

equities plural

1. the quality of being fair or impartial; fairness; impartiality.

   the equity of Solomon.

   Synonyms:

   justice, objectivity, justness, disinterest

   Antonyms:

   discrimination, bias, injustice, prejudice, partisanship, partiality, inequity

2. something that is fair and just.

   The concepts and principles of health equities and inequities are important to society as a whole.

3. the policy or practice of accounting for the differences in each individual’s starting point when pursuing a goal or achievement, and working to remove barriers to equal opportunity, as by providing support based on the unique needs of individual students or employees.

4. Law.

   1. Also called chancery.  the application of the dictates of conscience or the principles of natural justice to the settlement of controversies.

   2. Also called chancery.  a system of jurisprudence or a body of doctrines and rules developed in England and followed in the U.S., serving to supplement and remedy the limitations and the inflexibility of the common law.

   3. an equitable or legally valid right or claim.

   4. equity of redemption.

5. the monetary value of a property or business beyond any amounts owed on it in mortgages, claims, liens, etc..

   Over the years, they have carefully avoided tapping into their home equity for unnecessary expenses.

6. Informal. ownership, especially when considered as the right to share in future profits or appreciation in value.

7. the interest of the owner of common stock in a corporation.

8. (in a margin account) the excess of the market value of the securities over any indebtedness.

9. Equity. Actors' Equity Association.

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equity ¹ British  

/ ˈɛkwɪtɪ /

noun

1. the quality of being impartial or reasonable; fairness

2. an impartial or fair act, decision, etc

3. law a system of jurisprudence founded on principles of natural justice and fair conduct. It supplements the common law and mitigates its inflexibility, as by providing a remedy where none exists at law

4. law an equitable right or claim

   equity of redemption

5. the interest of ordinary shareholders in a company

6. the market value of a debtor's property in excess of all debts to which it is liable

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Equity ² British  

/ ˈɛkwɪtɪ /

noun

1. Full name: Actors' Equity Association.  the actors' trade union

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equity ¹ Cultural  

1. In real estate, the financial value of someone's property over and above the amount the person owes on mortgages. For example, if you buy a house for $100,000, paying $20,000 down and borrowing $80,000, your equity in the house is $20,000. As you pay off the principal of the loan, your equity will rise.

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equity ² Cultural  

1. A body of rules or customs based on general principles of fair play rather than on common law or statutory law.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• equities
  plural

Etymology

Origin of equity

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English equite, equitee, equyte, from Old French equité, from Latin aequitāt-, stem of aequitās “evenness, smoothness, fairness”; see equi-, -ty ²

Explanation

Equity is the state or quality of being fair. In classrooms, it's important to establish equity as any hint of unfairness turns everyone against the teacher. In finance, equity refers to the value of a business or piece of property after subtracting the amount of the mortgage. Also in finance, equities are stocks, in contrast to bonds. Equity is from Middle English equite, from Old French équité, from Latin aequitas "equality," from aequus "equal."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

equity Equity equities

Over the years, the S&P 500 and the cross-currency basis swap have moved in lockstep on multiple occasions, with periods of strong hedging demand coinciding with falling U.S. equity prices as liquidity shifted.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026

Earnings quadrupled on paper, but an analyst calls that an “illusory” performance propped up by unrealized gains from equity investments.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

EasyJet, which flies mainly across Europe, is at the centre of a bidding war between two US private equity firms vying for ownership of the carrier.

From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026

In addition to testing requirements — eliminated six years ago amid concerns about racial equity and access to testing during the pandemic — course policies have also evolved over the years.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

For that matter, where is the movement for educational equity?

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

Watt - who co‑founded the firm with Martin Dickie in Aberdeenshire almost 20 years ago - said investors in Brewdog's "Equity for Punks" scheme would receive shares "for free" if his takeover bid was successful.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

Equity trading revenue was especially strong as clients rushed to trade in a volatile, risk-on market.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

He officially earned his Actors’ Equity card in 2004 for a production of “Where’s Charley?” at the Goodspeed Opera House, he told Playbill in 2009.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

Mike Hickey, a media analyst at Benchmark Equity Research, noted that the new entry cost less to produce than previous movies in the series, making a softer opening less detrimental.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026

Lippmann, who was forever adding data to his presentation, produced his latest version of “Shorting Mezzanine Home Equity Tranches” and walked Fewings through his argument.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

Despite the roller-coaster ride, the Kospi remains one of the world’s top-performing equities market.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

Because that “certainly would cause some risk around equities and valuations.”

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026

European equities fell in opening trade as a rally in technology stocks stuttered.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

The states raised "serious questions" about the deal's potential to be anticompetitive, the judge said in her ruling, adding that "the balance of equities and public interest tip sharply in favor of the Plaintiff States."

From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026

He owned half of Culpepper's second addition, and his interest in College Heights was clear; he never dealt in equities, but paid cash and gave warranty deeds for what he sold.

From A Certain Rich Man by White, William Allen

Related Words

• capital
• investment