lion's share

noun

1. the largest part or share, especially a disproportionate portion.

   The eldest son received the lion's share of the estate.

lion's share

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.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of lion's share¹

First recorded in 1780–90; probably after Aesop's fable in which the lion claimed all the spoils of a hunt

Idioms and Phrases

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]

Example Sentences

The big picture here is that even the three US giants that put in the lion's share of the tech investment last week are now worth $9tn on US stock markets.

From BBC

After outfoxing Egypt on the diplomatic stage for more than a decade, Ethiopia is set to officially inaugurate one of the world's biggest dams on a tributary of the River Nile, burying a colonial-era treaty that saw the UK guarantee the North African nation the lion's share of its water.

From BBC

Arson, unsupervised kids and various agriculture, construction and landscaping equipment have been responsible for the lion’s share; however, even those are much more common along roadways and near developments, where BurnBot hopes to operate.

From Los Angeles Times

Jisoo, meanwhile, is the most reserved member, saying precious few words but taking the lion's share of the high notes and tricky vocal lines.

From BBC

Indeed, the lion’s share of the blame goes to Joe Biden and the coterie of enablers who encouraged him to run again.

From Los Angeles Times