shareholder

noun

share·​hold·​er ˈsher-ˌhōl-dər 

: one that holds or owns a share in property

especially : stockholder

shareholding

ˈsher-ˌhōl-diŋ 

noun

Examples of shareholder in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Over £180m of this funding — via a shareholder loan — came in 2021 when KSE decided to take the debt from the cost of building the Emirates Stadium in-house. —Dan Sheldon, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2025

Once its largest shareholder with a 40% stake, Lefkofsky stepped down from an active leadership role at Groupon in 2015 and has since pared his holdings to just under 10%. —Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 3 Sep. 2025

Since then, the Oracle of Omaha has written down billions on the stake, while 3G Capital quietly headed for the exit, leaving Berkshire as the mostly exposed, and bruised, shareholder. —Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2025

Both times, Macy’s rejected the buyout offers, concluding the deals wouldn’t be in shareholders’ best interests. —Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1755, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for shareholder

• officeholder
• beholder
• bondholder
• cardholder
• freeholder
• householder
• landholder
• leaseholder
• lienholder
• placeholder
• slaveholder
• smallholder

Kids Definition

shareholder

noun

share·​hold·​er -ˌhōl-dər 

: one that owns or holds a share in property

especially : stockholder

Legal Definition

shareholder

noun

share·​hold·​er

: one that owns a share in a fund (as a mutual fund) or property

especially : stockholder see also derivative action, equity sense 4c, proxy contest

shareholding adjective or noun