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share

¹

[ shair ]

/ ʃɛər /

|||

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR share ON THESAURUS.COM

WATCH NOW: What Is The Origin Of The Word "Share"?

WATCH NOW: What Is The Origin Of The Word "Share"?

Remember when we were kids in the cafeteria and all we shared were Lunchables and the answers to that first period math quiz? Now kids share just about anything just for a “like” on Instagram. So, where did this word come from?

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noun

the full or proper portion or part allotted or belonging to or contributed or owed by an individual or group.

one of the equal fractional parts into which the capital stock of a joint-stock company or a corporation is divided.

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?
an act of sharing online content with specific users on a computer network: You can do a video share with friends and family.

verb (used with object), shared, shar·ing.

to divide and distribute in shares; apportion.

to use, participate in, enjoy, receive, etc., jointly: The two chemists shared the Nobel prize.

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: to share photos on Instagram; a shared spreadsheet.

verb (used without object), shared, shar·ing.

to have a share or part; take part (often followed by in).

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

Digital Technology. noting or relating to the practice of sharing online content with specific users on a computer network: Add a share button to your site.

Nearby words

Idioms

on/upon shares, on the principle of sharing the profits or losses of an undertaking: They agreed to work on shares.

Origin of share

¹

1325–75; Middle English (noun) “cutting, division”; Old English scearu “fork of the body, groin”; cognate with Dutch schaar, German Schar “troop.” See shear

SYNONYMS FOR share

1. allotment, allocation; contribution, assessment; quota, lot. 4. allot, parcel out, deal out, dole, mete.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR share ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

shar·a·ble, share·a·ble, adjectiveshar·er, nounhalf-shared, adjectivenon·shar·ing, adjective, noun

un·shar·a·ble, adjectiveun·share·a·ble, adjectiveun·shared, adjectiveun·shar·ing, adjective

Synonym study

7. 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.

share

²

[ shair ]

/ ʃɛər /

noun

a plowshare.

Origin of share

²

before 900; Middle English; Old English scear; cognate with German Schar. See shear

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for share

We have to share those feelings of concern that the people are feeling.
Mexico’s Priests Are Marked for Murder|Jason McGahan|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Mr. Bachner said it had been hard to introduce his work ethic and share his vision with the locals and his team.
The Photographer Who Gave Up Manhattan for Marrakech|Liza Foreman|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Getting men to do their share of care and domestic work is a key overlooked strategy in reducing poverty.
How Good Dads Can Change the World|Gary Barker, PhD, Michael Kaufman|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Having finally seen Selma on November 17, I must report, sadly, that I do not share the enthusiasm the film has generated so far.
Dr. King Goes to Hollywood: The Flawed History of ‘Selma’|Gary May|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST

To be sure, Jefferson did share the credit, but not in the way such a resolution might be interpreted.
Forget the Resolutions; Try a Few Declarations|Kevin Bleyer|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But as he was disposed to be too friendly, and to claim too large a share of the lunch, we rather gave him the cold shoulder.
Riverby|John Burroughs
I could not help wishing that I had gone with them, to share the difficulties and dangers they might meet.
The Wanderers|W.H.G. Kingston
Hooper took his share entirely in cash; your father took his probably part in cash, but certainly all of the ranch and cattle.
The Killer|Stewart Edward White
They scramble at their meals; and the one that is not able to contest for his share is certain to get the least.
The Dog|Dinks, Mayhew, and Hutchinson
There were hundreds of other things in the great city, but they had their share of patronage.
A Little Girl in Old San Francisco|Amanda Minnie Douglas

British Dictionary definitions for share

share

¹

/ (ʃɛə) /

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 profitsSee also ordinary shares, preference shares

go shares informal to share (something) with another or others

verb

(tr often foll by out) to divide or apportion, esp equally

(when intr, often foll by in) to receive or contribute a portion ofwe can share the cost of the petrol; six people shared in the inheritance

to join with another or others in the use of (something)can I share your umbrella?

Derived Formssharable or shareable, adjectivesharer, noun

Word Origin for share

Old English scearu; related to Old Norse skor amount, Old High German scara crowd; see shear

noun

short for ploughshare

Word Origin for share

Old English scear; related to Old Norse skeri, Old High German scaro

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for share

share

n.1

"portion," Old English scearu "a cutting, shearing, tonsure; a part or division," related to sceran "to cut," from Proto-Germanic *skaro- (cf. Old High German scara "troop, share of forced labor," German Schar "troop, band," properly "a part of an army," Old Norse skör "rim"), from PIE root *(s)ker- (1) "to cut" (see shear).

Meaning "part of the capital of a joint stock company" is first attested c.1600. Share and share alike attested from 1560s. The same Old English noun in the sense "division" led to an obsolete noun share "fork ('division') of the body at the groin; pubic region" (late Old English and Middle English); hence share-bone "pubis" (early 15c.).

share

n.2

"iron blade of a plow," Old English scear, scær "plowshare," properly "that which cuts," from Proto-Germanic *skar- (cf. Old Frisian skere, Middle Low German schar, Old High German scar, German Schar, Dutch ploegschaar, Middle High German pfluocschar), from PIE root *(s)ker- (1) "to cut" (see shear).

v.

1580s, "to apportion to someone as his share; to apportion out to others; to enjoy or suffer (something) with others," from share (n.1). Meaning "to divide one's own and give part to others" is recorded from 1590s. Meaning "confess one's sins openly" (1932, implied in sharing) is from "the language of Moral Rearmament" [OED]. Related: Shared; sharer; sharing.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Idioms and Phrases with share

share

In addition to the idiom beginning with share

share and share alike

also see:

lion's share

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.