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
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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)
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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.
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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
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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
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Business, List 2
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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:
American said it plans to boost the share of premium seating on narrow-body departures to 40% from about 25% currently.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
Home Depot said earnings per share advanced to $4.79 for the period ended Aug. 2, up from $4.59 for the same period last year, and marginally surpassing the consensus estimate of $4.65.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
Wide forwards Sadio Mane and Son Heung-min have also claimed a share of the Golden Boot in the past eight years.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
It is about getting the story across, in a manner that allows the audience to relate and gives the performers the opportunity to share their story in a positive way, without feeling shame.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
Maybe I’d get some popcorn, just in case I had an opportunity to share.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Several Wall Street analysts have said a merger could be announced by the end of 2027, which may be pressuring Tesla shares.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
UGI shares closed at $35.09 Monday, giving the company a market value of around $7.5 billion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
The former Liverpool forward shares the record with Thierry Henry that Haaland will attempt to match this season.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
Wall Street is hitting the pause button on Workday after shares rose sharply higher on report of a possible private-equity takeover.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
Markus shares an amused glance with his fellow policeman.
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
“She built an incredible career through immense talent, while also facing the darker sides of a very demanding industry. Nothing will erase the times we shared or the place she had in our lives.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
Tuesday's ruling granting the petition was "a major step, a major decision, a great blessing", said Salman Akram Raja, secretary-general of Khan's political party, in a video shared on Facebook from outside the court.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
For the rest of us, it functions to preserve our last shreds of shared reality at a time of rapidly developing make-stuff-up machines.
From Slate ● Aug. 18, 2026
The full judgements made by the Key Match Incidents Panel on referee and video assistant referee decisions will be shared with fans for the first time this season.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
The locker I shared with girls on the other shifts.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
In this world, low-income people have little or no deductible, middle-income people have moderate cost sharing, and higher-income people can deal with a larger deductible in exchange for lower premiums.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
It all led to Annie sharing her final moments in Xavier’s arms.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
And local officials who normally update constituents on the sideline of a football game now say they are legally barred from sharing what they know.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
On a practical level, he added, the data sharing increased the risk of breaches that can open law-abiding citizens up to identity theft.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
She could try her very hardest and still end up sharing a tank with her toad.
From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega
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.
