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

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

Subscriptions and streaming are a key focus for investors as they are part of the group’s recorded music business, which accounts for the lion’s share of revenue.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

The lion’s share of students boycotted the election, but twenty-five stu-dents, about one-sixth of the student body, showed up and elected six representatives, one of whom was myself.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

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