share
1 Americannoun
-
the full or proper portion or part allotted or belonging to or contributed or owed by an individual or group.
- Synonyms:
- lot, quota, assessment, ration, allocation, allotment
-
one of the equal fractional parts into which the capital stock of a joint-stock company or a corporation is divided.
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Digital Technology.
-
a digital file or document that can be accessed by specific users on a computer network, as for viewing, downloading, or making changes to it.
I just sent you a share—can you improve the second paragraph?
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an act of sharing online content with specific users on a computer network.
You can do a video share with friends and family.
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verb (used with object)
-
shares,
present (3rd person singular)
-
shared,
past participle, past
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sharing
present participle
-
to divide and distribute in shares; apportion.
- Synonyms:
- mete, dole (out), deal, parcel out, allot
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to use, participate in, enjoy, receive, etc., jointly.
The two chemists shared the Nobel Prize.
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Digital Technology. to give specific users access to (online content), as by posting it on a social media website or sending it as an email attachment: a shared spreadsheet.
to share photos on Instagram;
a shared spreadsheet.
verb (used without object)
-
shares,
present (3rd person singular)
-
shared,
past participle, past
-
sharing
present participle
-
to have a share or part; take part (often followed byin ).
-
to divide, apportion, or receive equally.
-
Digital Technology. to give specific users access to online content.
You can share via email, Facebook, or Twitter.
adjective
idioms
noun
noun
-
a part or portion of something owned, allotted to, or contributed by a person or group
-
(often plural) any of the equal parts, usually of low par value, into which the capital stock of a company is divided: ownership of shares carries the right to receive a proportion of the company's profits See also ordinary shares preference shares
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informal to share (something) with another or others
verb
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to divide or apportion, esp equally
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to receive or contribute a portion of
we can share the cost of the petrol
six people shared in the inheritance
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to join with another or others in the use of (something)
can I share your umbrella?
noun
Synonym Usage
Share, partake, participate mean to join with others or to receive in common with others. To share is to give or receive a part of something, or to enjoy or assume something in common: to share in another's experiences. To partake is to take for one's own personal use a portion of something: to partake of food. To participate is especially to join with others in some thought, feeling, or, particularly, some action: to participate in a race, in a conversation.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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sharernoun
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half-sharedadjective
-
nonsharingadjective
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sharableadjective
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shareableadjective
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unsharableadjective
-
unshareableadjective
-
unsharedadjective
-
unsharingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
sharesimple
-
sharessimple
-
have sharedperfect
-
has sharedperfect
-
am sharingprogressive
-
are sharingprogressive
-
is sharingprogressive
-
have been sharingperfect progressive
-
has been sharingperfect progressive
Past
-
sharedsimple
-
had sharedperfect
-
was sharingprogressive
-
were sharingprogressive
-
had been sharingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of share1
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English noun shar(e), sharre “cutting, division,” Old English scearu “fork of the body, groin”; cognate with Dutch schaar, German Schar “troop”; see shear
Origin of share2
First recorded before 900; Middle English shar(e), sharre, Old English scear, scer; cognate with German Schar; see shear
Explanation
When you hungrily eye the pizzas your friends ordered, count everyone in the room, and then mentally divide the number of slices by the number of people, you're figuring out your share, or portion, of pizza. Your share of something can be the part of the total that's due to you — your share of the piñata candy — or it can be the section of something you're responsible for, like doing your share of cleaning out the garage. When you use share as a verb, it means to give or distribute a portion of something. The word share and its meaning of dividing into pieces come from the Proto-Indo-European word sker, "to cut."
Vocabulary lists containing share
Lyrics from "Umbrella" by Rihanna
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Business, List 2
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"Talkin' 'bout a Revolution"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Past national support for encouraging local production of electric vehicles, which share many components with humanoid robots, also helped.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026
Unfortunately, commercial AI labs don’t generally share these thought tokens publicly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
About one in five for-sale listings had a price cut in September, the highest share in nearly four years, Realtor.com and Redfin found.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026
The Spanish bank’s share price has weakened recently due to short-term net interest income uncertainty and fears about deposit margins due to the AI threat.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
“My sisters and I share a bed. I’m sorry we don’t have another. I thought you would be most comfortable here.”
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
A. It takes companies several months from deciding they want to go public to listing shares.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
This is a moment of pain for investors holding bonds or shares of bond funds, but also one of opportunity for investors who want to generate income.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026
The actor shares Fiona and two other daughters with wife Kim Painter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
Blue Owl Credit Income Corp. saw estimated third-quarter redemption requests of $3.1 billion, representing 16.8% of shares.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
“My mom’s on a healthy breakfast mission,” Soojin shares.
From "Amina's Song" by Hena Khan
Gap decides which third-party agents can browse and which can check out on a case-by-case basis, said Damon Berger, senior vice president of marketing shared services.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Another issue raised by the report was the inconsistent manner in which the four gaming platforms shared information and participated in industry initiatives.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
They also shared a statement on Wednesday following allegations against Combs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
There were clashes along the shared border in August, suggesting it remains an active concern for the Ethiopian government.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
Three of us now shared this single cot as the crowded camp daily received new arrivals.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
They comb the web, often helped by AI models, for traces of rogue AI agents sharing their findings in discussion forums and in online reports.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
The two movements overlap heavily in membership and ideas, sharing an emphasis on reasoning through evidence and probabilities, and a conviction that preventing human extinction should be a top priority.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
OpenAI has parted ways with three researchers for allegedly sharing confidential company information with a third-party AI-safety organization, according to people familiar with the matter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
However, he points out that some farmers might be uneasy about sharing commercially sensitive information about their growing strategies, such as fertiliser and irrigation plans, with third parties and AI models.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
I pause and start to imagine sitting in the clubhouse, giggling and sharing secrets with the girls, and hanging up a big sign that says PRIVATE: NO SNOOPING.
From "Zara’s Rules for Record-Breaking Fun" by Hena Khan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
