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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lion's share

“This is a matter of survival for a community that represents about two-thirds of our state’s citizens and the lion’s share of its economy.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026

"This is a matter of survival for a community that represents about two-thirds of our state's citizens and the lion's share of its economy."

From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026

That’s because the economy has become one in which the largest firms earn the lion’s share of corporate profits.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026

Cartier drives the lion’s share of sales at the jewelry maisons unit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 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

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