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• equity
  equity

  noun

  the quality of being fair or impartial; fairness; impartiality.
• Equity
  Equity

  noun

  the actors' trade union

equity

American  

[ek-wi-tee] / ˈɛk wɪ ti /

noun

equities plural

1. the quality of being fair or impartial; fairness; impartiality.

   the equity of Solomon.

   Synonyms:

   justice, objectivity, justness, disinterest

   Antonyms:

   discrimination, bias, injustice, prejudice, partisanship, partiality, inequity

2. something that is fair and just.

   The concepts and principles of health equities and inequities are important to society as a whole.

3. the policy or practice of accounting for the differences in each individual’s starting point when pursuing a goal or achievement, and working to remove barriers to equal opportunity, as by providing support based on the unique needs of individual students or employees.

4. Law.

   1. Also called chancery.  the application of the dictates of conscience or the principles of natural justice to the settlement of controversies.

   2. Also called chancery.  a system of jurisprudence or a body of doctrines and rules developed in England and followed in the U.S., serving to supplement and remedy the limitations and the inflexibility of the common law.

   3. an equitable or legally valid right or claim.

   4. equity of redemption.

5. the monetary value of a property or business beyond any amounts owed on it in mortgages, claims, liens, etc..

   Over the years, they have carefully avoided tapping into their home equity for unnecessary expenses.

6. Informal. ownership, especially when considered as the right to share in future profits or appreciation in value.

7. the interest of the owner of common stock in a corporation.

8. (in a margin account) the excess of the market value of the securities over any indebtedness.

9. Equity. Actors' Equity Association.

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equity ¹ British  

/ ˈɛkwɪtɪ /

noun

1. the quality of being impartial or reasonable; fairness

2. an impartial or fair act, decision, etc

3. law a system of jurisprudence founded on principles of natural justice and fair conduct. It supplements the common law and mitigates its inflexibility, as by providing a remedy where none exists at law

4. law an equitable right or claim

   equity of redemption

5. the interest of ordinary shareholders in a company

6. the market value of a debtor's property in excess of all debts to which it is liable

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Equity ² British  

/ ˈɛkwɪtɪ /

noun

1. Full name: Actors' Equity Association.  the actors' trade union

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equity ¹ Cultural  

1. In real estate, the financial value of someone's property over and above the amount the person owes on mortgages. For example, if you buy a house for $100,000, paying $20,000 down and borrowing $80,000, your equity in the house is $20,000. As you pay off the principal of the loan, your equity will rise.

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equity ² Cultural  

1. A body of rules or customs based on general principles of fair play rather than on common law or statutory law.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• equities
  plural

Etymology

Origin of equity

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English equite, equitee, equyte, from Old French equité, from Latin aequitāt-, stem of aequitās “evenness, smoothness, fairness”; see equi-, -ty ²

Explanation

Equity is the state or quality of being fair. In classrooms, it's important to establish equity as any hint of unfairness turns everyone against the teacher. In finance, equity refers to the value of a business or piece of property after subtracting the amount of the mortgage. Also in finance, equities are stocks, in contrast to bonds. Equity is from Middle English equite, from Old French équité, from Latin aequitas "equality," from aequus "equal."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

equity Equity equities

Private equity investment has already transformed sports in the USA.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

Now, 18 months later, Jersey Mike’s short-lived journey as a nonpublic, private equity owned company is coming to an end.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

The equity market’s resilience in the face of much volatility means investors should be “maximum overweight,” according to HSBC.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026

The NFL holds a 10% equity stake in ESPN, valued at roughly $3 billion based on a $30 billion valuation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

Bobby also wanted proof that the prize fund was actually in a bank, and when that information, or proof of equity, wasn’t forthcoming, the entire venture dribbled away.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Equity markets haven't seen such activity since central banks eased up on corporate financing as part of efforts to prop up economies whiplashed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026

Equity investors overall remain highly optimistic on AI.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

Tyler Evans, a health physician and the co-founder of the Wellness Equity Alliance, said the system is only as good as the doctors who are willing to ask patients questions.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 18, 2026

After leaving Brewdog, Watt launched a new beer brand, Second Best, offering nearly 20% of shares to people who lost money after investing in Equity for Punks.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

“Shorting Home Equity Mezzanine Tranches” was just a fancy way to describe Mike Burry’s idea of betting against U.S. home loans: buying credit default swaps on the crappiest triple-B slices of subprime mortgage bonds.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

While they’ve done much more selling of individual stocks this year than they have in the past, signs show they aren’t entirely exiting the equities market.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026

Asian equities were seeing a rotation away from tech, Tickmill Group said, adding that while the AI story hadn’t disappeared, investor tolerance for disappointment had collapsed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

The strategists are “maximum overweight” equities for five reasons.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026

—Asian equities were mostly higher amid better sentiment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

We love peace, but more our freedom; we love our home, but more our equities in the Kingdom of God; and we will give all for civil and religious freedom.

From Voices; Birth-Marks; The Man and the Elephant by Holt, Mathew Joseph

Related Words

• capital
• investment