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.
-
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)
-
shares,
present (3rd person singular)
-
shared,
past participle, past
-
sharing
present participle
-
to divide and distribute in shares; apportion.
- Synonyms:
- mete, dole (out), deal, parcel out, allot
-
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: 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
-
to divide or apportion, esp equally
-
to receive or contribute a portion of
we 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?
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
-
half-sharedadjective
-
nonsharingadjective
-
sharableadjective
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shareableadjective
-
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
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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:
They take to the stage at the front of the church and share their stories with a brutal and courageous honesty.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026
But while they may not share many overt similarities, the strange duo align in their mutual slipperiness.
From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2026
MIT and Whitehead, both in Cambridge, Mass., share faculty, facilities and research.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
In September, individual investors and second-home buyers accounted for 20% of home-purchase transactions — the highest share in a little over a year, according to the National Association of Realtors.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 17, 2026
I pushed open the door of our house, my share of the catch held up in my skirt.
From "Nory Ryan’s Song" by Patricia Reilly Giff
"I also ask that anyone with additional information shares this with us without delay. Even the smallest bit of information could make all the difference to this investigation."
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026
Janie and Joey Buss asked a judge on Friday to dismiss Jeanie Buss’ claim the family trust cannot the sell Lakers shares without her consent.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
Arista Networks CEO Jayshree Ullal sells $34.4 million in company stock amid a rally that pushes shares to record highs.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
Turning their shares into tokens would enable round-the-clock trading, appealing to investors who have grown up on crypto.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
“So, I have all these new ideas for the clubhouse,’’Jade shares.
From "Zara’s Rules for Record-Breaking Fun" by Hena Khan
Unlike a traditional videographer who might take a few months to produce a polished wedding film, Burton edits short-form, vertical videos called highlight reels that can be shared the next day.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026
"No personal data related to our rentals is shared with car manufacturers, our owners or other third parties without explicit legal grounds," he added, without specifying whether the onboard videos may have been transferred.
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026
Strangers at the country market shared stories from the previous night.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
Following Friday’s dismissal, Gilbert shared a news report about the ruling on social media, signaling her continued support.
From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2026
Neither of us had shared our names yet, or where we lived, or anything personal.
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
Kavanaugh continued, “Congress in the 1980s wasn’t thinking about data sharing for targeted advertising.”
From Slate ● Oct. 17, 2026
“The information sharing that I’m concerned about was with Flock cameras, which is why ... that contract is not being renewed,” Bass said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Abdel said he had experienced the shortages firsthand, with "often three or four of us sharing one meal".
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
In a statement, the museum said the challenge is to balance its mission of protecting its collection while also sharing it with roughly 30,000 visitors a day.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
And they never grew tired of sharing their own.
From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
