shareholder

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UK/ˈʃɛəˌhəʊl.də(ɹ)/Canada, US/ˈʃɛɹˌhoʊl.dɚ/Australia/ˈʃeːˌhəʉl.də(ɹ)/Australia/ˈʃeːˌhɐʉl.də(ɹ)/

noun

One who owns shares of stock in a corporation.

“Shareholders are the real owners of a publicly traded business, but management runs it.”

CommonScrabble 18

Meanings

nounshareholder (plural shareholders)

plural shareholders

  1. One who owns shares of stock in a corporation.

    Shareholders are the real owners of a publicly traded business, but management runs it.

    3 more examples

    Hudson personally would not face the music at that meeting and the business could hardly proceed for groans and hisses and cries of "Hudson! Hudson! Why is Hudson not here?" and so the ungrateful shareholders to whom Hudson had generously paid dividends out of their own capital cast out Hudson bag and baggage, including therein the agreement with the Newmarket Railway.

    1941 December 28, Kenneth Brown, “The Newmarket & Chesterford Railway—II”, in Railway Magazine, page 533

    High prices have swelled profits for energy companies, leaving them flush with cash. And their shareholders are certainly feeling that windfall. Exxon Mobil made a record $59 billion profit in 2022, up 157% from the year prior, and the company plans to spend up to $50 billion buying back shares.

    2023 February 21, Nicole Goodkind, “How oil and gas companies think about their shareholders”, in CNN

    As of March 2022, the Qatar Holding LLC, the investment arm of Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) was the single largest shareholder of QIB, owning 16.7% of the bank, while Nasser Al-Khelaifi, president of PSG, is a board member at QIA.

    2023 March 20, Issy Ronald, “Manchester United is for sale, who could buy the world-famous club?”, in CNN

    Synonyms: stockholder

Synonyms & antonyms

nounOne who owns shares of stock in a corporation.

More synonyms by meaning

nounsomeone who holds shares of stock in a corporation

Broader

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*(s)koréh₂
  2. Proto-Germanic*skarō
  3. Proto-West Germanic*skaru
  4. Old Englishsċearu
  5. Middle Englishschare
  6. Englishshare
  7. Proto-Germanic*haldaną
  8. Proto-West Germanic*haldan
  9. Old Englishhealdan
  10. Middle Englishholden
  11. Englishhold
  12. Englishholder
  13. Englishshareholder

From share + holder.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic مُسَاهِم, مُسَاهِمَة
  • مُسَاهِم (musāhim)one who owns shares of stock
  • مُسَاهِمَة (musāhima)one who owns shares of stock
Basque akziodun
  • akziodunone who owns shares of stock
Bengali শেয়ারহোল্ডার
  • শেয়ারহোল্ডার (śeẏarhōlḍar)one who owns shares of stock
Bulgarian акционе́р, акционе́рка
  • акционе́р (akcionér)one who owns shares of stock
  • акционе́рка (akcionérka)one who owns shares of stock
Catalan accionista, accionari
  • accionistaone who owns shares of stock
  • accionarione who owns shares of stock
Chinese Cantonese 股東 /股东
  • 股東 /股东one who owns shares of stock
Chinese Mandarin 股東 /股东
  • 股東 /股东 (gǔdōng)one who owns shares of stock
Czech akcionář, akcionářka
  • akcionářone who owns shares of stock
  • akcionářkaone who owns shares of stock
Danish aktionær, aktieejer
  • aktionærone who owns shares of stock
  • aktieejerone who owns shares of stock
Esperanto akciulo
  • akciuloone who owns shares of stock
Estonian aktsionär
  • aktsionärone who owns shares of stock
Finnish osakkeenomistaja
  • osakkeenomistajaone who owns shares of stock
French actionnaire
  • actionnaireone who owns shares of stock
German Aktionär, Aktionärin
  • Aktionärone who owns shares of stock
  • Aktionärinone who owns shares of stock
Greek μέτοχος
  • μέτοχος (métochos)one who owns shares of stock
Hebrew בַּעַל מְנָיוֹת
  • בַּעַל מְנָיוֹת (bá'al menayót)one who owns shares of stock
Hindi शेयरधारक, अंशधारी
  • शेयरधारक (śeyardhārak)one who owns shares of stock
  • अंशधारी (añśdhārī)one who owns shares of stock
  • हिस्सेदार (hissedār)one who owns shares of stock
Hungarian részvényes
  • részvényesone who owns shares of stock
Icelandic hluthafi
  • hluthafione who owns shares of stock
Indonesian pemegang saham
  • pemegang sahamone who owns shares of stock
Irish scairshealbhóir
  • scairshealbhóirone who owns shares of stock
Italian azionista
  • azionistaone who owns shares of stock
Japanese 株主
  • 株主 (kabunushi)one who owns shares of stock
Korean 주주
  • 주주 (juju)one who owns shares of stock
Latvian akcionārs, akcionāre
  • akcionārsone who owns shares of stock
  • akcionāreone who owns shares of stock
Lithuanian akcininkas, akcininkė
  • akcininkasone who owns shares of stock
  • akcininkėone who owns shares of stock
Malay pemegang saham
  • pemegang sahamone who owns shares of stock
Māori kaiwhaipānga
  • kaiwhaipāngaone who owns shares of stock
Norwegian Bokmål aksjonær, aksjeeier
  • aksjonærone who owns shares of stock
  • aksjeeierone who owns shares of stock
Polish akcjonariusz, akcjonariuszka
  • akcjonariuszone who owns shares of stock
  • akcjonariuszkaone who owns shares of stock
  • udziałowiecone who owns shares of stock
Portuguese acionista
  • acionistaone who owns shares of stock
Romanian acționar, acționară
  • acționarone who owns shares of stock
  • acționarăone who owns shares of stock
Russian акционе́р, акционе́рка
  • акционе́р (akcionér)one who owns shares of stock
  • акционе́рка (akcionérka)one who owns shares of stock
  • владе́лец а́кций (vladélec ákcij)one who owns shares of stock
  • владе́лица а́кций (vladélica ákcij)one who owns shares of stock
  • держа́тель а́кций (deržátelʹ ákcij)one who owns shares of stock
  • держа́тельница а́кций (deržátelʹnica ákcij)one who owns shares of stock
Slovak akcionár, akcionárka
  • akcionárone who owns shares of stock
  • akcionárkaone who owns shares of stock
Spanish accionista, accionario
  • accionistaone who owns shares of stock
  • accionarioone who owns shares of stock
Swahili mwenye hisa, mwanahisa
  • mwenye hisaone who owns shares of stock
  • mwanahisaone who owns shares of stock
Swedish aktieägare
  • aktieägareone who owns shares of stock
Tagalog kasapi
  • kasapione who owns shares of stock
Thai ผู้ถือหุ้น
  • ผู้ถือหุ้น (pûu-tʉ̌ʉ-hûn)one who owns shares of stock
Turkish aksiyoner, hissedar
  • aksiyonerone who owns shares of stock
  • hissedarone who owns shares of stock
Ukrainian акціоне́р, акціоне́рка
  • акціоне́р (akcionér)one who owns shares of stock
  • акціоне́рка (akcionérka)one who owns shares of stock
Urdu حِصّے دار
  • حِصّے دار (hisse dār)one who owns shares of stock
Vietnamese cổ đông, người có cổ phần
  • cổ đôngone who owns shares of stock
  • người có cổ phầnone who owns shares of stock
Welsh cyfranddaliwr
  • cyfranddaliwrone who owns shares of stock
Yiddish אַקציאָנער
  • אַקציאָנער (aktsyoner)one who owns shares of stock
Cite this entry
APA

shareholder. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shareholder

MLA

“shareholder.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shareholder. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “shareholder,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shareholder.

Source: shareholder on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.