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

“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

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 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 source of visual stimulation that is most relevant to the person gets the lion’s share of the neurological resources.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel