dividend

noun

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div·i·dend | \ ˈdi-və-ˌdend

, -dənd \

Definition of dividend

1 : an individual share of something distributed: such as

a : a share in a pro rata distribution (as of profits) to stockholders Profits are distributed to shareholders as dividends.

b : a share of surplus allocated to a policyholder in a participating insurance policy

2a : a resultant return or reward our efforts are finally paying dividends

b : bonus

3a mathematics : a number to be divided

b : a sum or fund to be divided and distributed

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Examples of dividend in a Sentence

Profits are distributed to shareholders as dividends. the reward money was an unexpected dividend for our good deed

Recent Examples on the Web The Federal Reserve said temporary limits on dividend payments and share buybacks will end for most banks after June 30, following the completion of annual stress tests to determine their resilience to a hypothetical downturn. — Andrew Ackerman, WSJ, "Fed Says Restrictions on Payouts to End for Most Banks After June 30," 25 Mar. 2021 Americans for Carbon Dividends, the advocacy arm of the Climate Leadership Council, is seeking to shore up support for its carbon tax and dividend proposal as policymakers have gravitated toward other ideas. — Josh Siegel, Washington Examiner, "GOP group launches ad campaign for carbon tax as Hill shows signs of moving on," 17 Mar. 2021 This is similar to the calculation of free cash flow, which also subtracts dividend payments. — Charles Rotblut, Forbes, "Never Bet Against America: Buffett’s Screening Strategy," 11 Mar. 2021 It could be paid for by a wealth tax, a financial transaction tax, a carbon tax, or a data dividend. — Susan Berfield, Bloomberg.com, "A Radical Free-Money Experiment Became Vital When Covid-19 Hit," 25 Sep. 2020 However, the dividend isn’t tax-deductible to Apple. — Washington Post, "What do Apple and some well-off senior citizens have in common? U.S. tax codes are helping them get richer.," 23 Feb. 2021 This does not appear to be a statistical fluke: a similar demographic dividend is observable in the decline in hospital admissions (though not in cases), and in regional data. — The Economist, "Daily Chart The benefits of a rapid vaccine roll-out," 22 Feb. 2021 The special dividend will be paid on March 24, 2021, to holders of record as of March 10, 2021. — Paul Gattis | Pgattis@al.com, al, "Lockheed Martin purchases Aerojet Rocketdyne in $5 billion deal," 21 Dec. 2020 When the Covid-19 crisis spread globally earlier this year, Mr. Manley steered Fiat Chrysler through unprecedented, extended plant shutdowns across the globe, and the company moved quickly to shore up its cash, cutting the dividend. — Eric Sylvers, WSJ, "Fiat Chrysler’s Mike Manley to Lead Americas After PSA Merger," 18 Dec. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dividend.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

8 Apr 2021

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“Dividend.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dividend. Accessed 11 Apr. 2021.

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More Definitions for dividend

dividend

noun

English Language Learners Definition of dividend

finance : an amount of a company's profits that the company pays to people who own stock in the company

: an advantage or benefit that you get because of something you have done

mathematics : a number that is being divided by another number

See the full definition for dividend in the English Language Learners Dictionary

dividend

noun

div·i·dend | \ ˈdi-və-ˌdend

Kids Definition of dividend

1 : a number to be divided by another number

2 : an amount of a company's profits that is paid to the owners of its stock

dividend

noun

div·i·dend | \ ˈdi-və-ˌdend

Legal Definition of dividend

1 : the part of corporate net earnings distributed usually periodically (as quarterly) to stockholders in the form of cash, additional shares, or property either as a set amount per share or a percentage of par value

— constructive dividend

: a benefit (as unreasonable compensation or use of corporate property) or transfer of funds from a corporation to a shareholder that is interpreted by a taxing authority as a dividend

— cumulative dividend

: a dividend distributed to preferred stockholders that is added to and paid with the next payment or future payments if not paid when due

— extraordinary dividend

: a dividend declared in addition to a regular dividend because of unanticipated profits or a nonrecurring increase of revenue

2 : a share of the surplus earnings of a mutual insurance company paid to policyholders either in the form of cash disbursements or through reduction of premiums

3 : a payment disbursed to investors from the income of a mutual fund

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