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

Example Sentences

The U.S. now produces the lion’s share of pistachios globally — despite their relative newness for American farmers.

From Salon • May 6, 2026

Not everyone can have the lion’s share of their retirement in Roths — like this guy.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 27, 2026

The company’s medical devices business, which includes products like its popular FreeStyle Libre glucose monitor, brought in the lion’s share of revenue for the quarter at $5.5 billion, up 8.5% on a comparable basis.

From Barron's • Apr. 16, 2026

Maybe they saved the lion’s share of tickets for the rest of the world ... because they need locals to volunteer?

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026

Of whatever food I caught, Richard Parker took the lion’s share, so to speak.

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel