dividend

[ div-i-dend ]
See synonyms for: dividenddividends on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. Mathematics. a number that is to be divided by a divisor.

  2. Law. a sum out of an insolvent estate paid to creditors.

  1. Finance.

    • a pro-rata share in an amount to be distributed.

    • a sum of money paid to shareholders of a corporation out of earnings.

  2. Insurance. (in participating insurance) a distribution to a policyholder of a portion of the premium not needed by the company to pay claims or to meet expenses.

  3. a share of anything divided.

  4. anything received as a bonus, reward, or in addition to or beyond what is expected: Swimming is fun, and gives you the dividend of better health.

Origin of dividend

1
First recorded in 1470–80; from Latin dīvidendum “thing to be divided,” neuter gerund of dīvidere “to separate”; see divide

Other words for dividend

Other words from dividend

  • su·per·div·i·dend, noun

Words Nearby dividend

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use dividend in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for dividend

dividend

/ (ˈdɪvɪˌdɛnd) /


noun
  1. finance

    • a distribution from the net profits of a company to its shareholders

    • a pro-rata portion of this distribution received by a shareholder

  2. the share of a cooperative society's surplus allocated at the end of a period to members

  1. insurance a sum of money distributed from a company's net profits to the holders of certain policies

  2. something extra; bonus

  3. a number or quantity to be divided by another number or quantity: Compare divisor

  4. law the proportion of an insolvent estate payable to the creditors

Origin of dividend

1
C15: from Latin dīvidendum what is to be divided; see divide

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

Scientific definitions for dividend

dividend

[ dĭvĭ-dĕnd′ ]


  1. A number divided by another. In the equation 15 ÷ 3 = 5, 15 is the dividend.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for dividend

dividend

A payment to the stockholders of a corporation from the corporation's earnings.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.