share
1 Americannoun
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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.
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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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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)
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to have a share or part; take part (often followed byin ).
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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
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a part or portion of something owned, allotted to, or contributed by a person or group
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(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
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nonsharingadjective
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sharableadjective
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shareableadjective
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unsharableadjective
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unshareableadjective
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unsharedadjective
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unsharingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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sharesimple
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sharessimple
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have sharedperfect
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has sharedperfect
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am sharingprogressive
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are sharingprogressive
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is sharingprogressive
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have been sharingperfect progressive
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has been sharingperfect progressive
Past
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sharedsimple
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had sharedperfect
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was sharingprogressive
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were sharingprogressive
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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
Lyrics from "Umbrella" by Rihanna
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Business, List 2
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"Talkin' 'bout a Revolution"
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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:
South Korea's president urged financial watchdogs to take "necessary measures" over new highly speculative investment products tied to the fortunes of the nation's AI chipmakers after share price declines left investors nursing losses.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
This comprises a cash payment of 218.5 pence a share and a final dividend of up to 3.1 pence a share for the year ended March 2026.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Senior figures in government say Burnham and Healey share the same economic outlook and ambitions – built on a desire for reindustrialisation and devolution.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
Analysts polled by FactSet had expected earnings of $3.63 a share.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
“And you feel the need to share this with us because…?” Camille swipes through her photo album at lightning speed.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
BlueNord shareholders will receive 9.7153 shares in Var Energi and 76.83 kroner in cash for each share they hold.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Asian stocks mostly rebounded after days of losses on Tuesday led by technology shares, while oil prices eased slightly even as Iran said it had struck hit US military targets in Bahrain and Kuwait.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
It will issue 248.4 million new Var Energi shares to BlueNord shareholders as consideration.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
With 2.8 trillion parameters, Kimi K3 will be the world’s largest open-source model when Moonshot AI shares the model’s weights later this month.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
One Wall Street broker even tried convincing Bobby to become a “corporation,” like the Beatles, so that shares of “Bobby Fischer” could be traded on the New York Stock Exchange.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Clarkson later took ownership of two Montana properties that they had shared during their marriage, both of which she still owns.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
Thus far, there has been no information shared on potential disciplinary actions against the employee.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
They shared oversight of compliance-related matters, which had largely been managed by the general counsel’s office at JPMorgan before then.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
As first minister, John Swinney has made clear that he is perfectly open to working with the PM on areas of shared interest.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Uncles, aunties, cousins, other grandmas, other grandpas, his mom, and Jason shared stories and pictures of Grandma in the Nazlini Chapter House after the interment.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
“With much love ... here is the trailer you’ve been waiting for,” directors Anthony and Joe Russo wrote Monday in an Instagram post sharing the new footage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
A post from Goop’s official account in February featured Gwyneth Paltrow sharing her personal nervous system reset, which included a relaxing bath, a superfood smoothie and a girls’ weekend in Ojai.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
"A new era of AI agent smartphones begins," Nubia said, sharing images of the handsets online.
From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026
On social media, sports rosters, email and restaurant bookings, she was Hannah Leonard, sharing her surname with her mother.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
“Well, I’d love to get to know you better. I’m very good at making friends, and often it’s sharing something personal that binds us, isn’t it? Would you like to go first?”
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
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.
