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

With its focus on cutting-edge technology, it consumes the lion's share of the national intelligence budget.

From BBC • May 26, 2026

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

From Salon • May 6, 2026

In contrast, Thales’s defense business reported 75% organic growth in orders to 2.24 billion euros, accounting for the lion’s share of all bookings.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 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

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