shareholder
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
- nonshareholder noun
- shareholding noun
Etymology
Origin of shareholder
Explanation
A shareholder is someone who holds stock in a company. Shareholders partially own a company and can make more money when it does well. When you share, you're using or enjoying something with others. Similarly, shareholders own shares — also known as stocks — in a company, so the shareholders all own a little piece of the company. Therefore, shareholders want the company to succeed, so their shares will be worth more money. If one shareholder owns more than 50% of the shares, that person can control the company. Otherwise, the shareholders will have to work together to make decisions.
Vocabulary lists containing shareholder
Personal Finance and Financial Literacy - High School
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Personal Finance and Financial Literacy - Middle School
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The Industrial Revolution - Middle School and High School
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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.
Amsterdam-listed Prosus—a subsidiary of investment firm Naspers and the largest shareholder in China’s Tencent—said Friday that the stake to be divested to U.S. tech giant Uber makes up around 4.5% of Delivery Hero’s capital.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026
The multiyear strategy includes the delisting of Mediobanca and shareholder payouts.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026
Ghei: We don’t think highly of the quality of governance at Beacon, as management appears to prioritize personal interests over shareholder value creation.
From Barron's • Apr. 16, 2026
The list of candidates backed by a minority shareholder PLG Holding and former CEO Luigi Lovaglio, who was pushed out by the departing board in recent weeks, unexpectedly prevailed.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026
He became Avant!’s single largest shareholder; he pressed management for changes.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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.
