dividend

/ˌdɪvəˈdɛnd/

/ˈdɪvɪdɛnd/

Other forms: dividends

A dividend is a bonus. If you buy a cup of coffee and the shop owner throws in a free muffin, that's a dividend. Your charm and loyal patronage are paying dividends!

If you own stock and your company has had a good year, you’ll probably get a dividend — a share of the profit the company pays to shareholders. You've probably also heard the word dividend in math class: if you've got 300 divided by 50, 300 is the dividend (and 50 is the divisor).

Definitions of dividend

1. noun

   a number to be divided by another number
   types:

   numerator

   the dividend of a fraction

   type of:

   number

   a concept of quantity involving zero and units
2. noun

   a bonus; something extra (especially a share of a surplus)
   type of:

   bonus, incentive

   an additional payment (or other remuneration) to employees as a means of increasing output
3. noun

   that part of the earnings of a corporation that is distributed to its shareholders; usually paid quarterly
   types:

   stock dividend

   a dividend paid in stock rather than in cash

   extra dividend

   a dividend paid in addition to the regular dividend

   equalizing dividend

   a dividend paid to compensate shareholders for losses resulting from a change in the dividend schedule

   divvy

   short for dividend; especially one paid by a cooperative society

   type of:

   earnings, lucre, net, net income, net profit, profit, profits

   the excess of revenues over outlays in a given period of time (including depreciation and other non-cash expenses)