shareholder

Everyday

1. (money) A person or organisation that owns shares (small parts) in a company, and so owns a small part of it. tree →
2. Someone who may get a share of the company's profits, called dividends. tree →

In the lessons

In money and economics lessons, a company can split its ownership into shares; shareholders buy them and hope the company does well so the shares grow in value. In the news, shareholders vote at meetings. In maths, if a profit of £1,000 is shared among 4 equal shareholders, each gets £250. Phrases: major shareholder, shareholders' meeting, shareholder vote.

Examples

• Grandma is a shareholder in a big supermarket company. tree →
• The shareholders voted for a new boss. tree →
• Each shareholder got a dividend from the profits. tree →
• The biggest shareholder owns half the company. tree →
• If 5 shareholders share £500 equally, each gets £100. tree →
• Shareholders can lose money if the company does badly. tree →

Note

Countable. Also called "stockholder" (US). In maths, each shareholder's part = profit ÷ shares × shares they own. Owning shares can make or lose money; it is not a sure thing.