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

See Examples For:

lion's share

Like Intel, the lion’s share of the proceeds will be used to fund capital expenditure related to the artificial-intelligence build-out.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026

But drones, despite being responsible for the lion's share of Russian casualties, were not enough, he argued.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

The lion’s share of the cuts begin to take effect on July 1, 2027.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026

Today, the lion’s share of affordable housing is built by private developers financed by the Low Income Housing Tax Credit, or LIHTC.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026

She also may have felt that William was entitled to the lion’s share of the credit.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield