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shareholder

/ˌʃɛərˈhoʊldər/
/ˈʃɛəhəʊldə/
IPA guide

Other forms: shareholders

A shareholder is someone who holds stock in a company. Shareholders partially own a company and can make more money when it does well.

When you share, you're using or enjoying something with others. Similarly, shareholders own shares — also known as stocks — in a company, so the shareholders all own a little piece of the company. Therefore, shareholders want the company to succeed, so their shares will be worth more money. If one shareholder owns more than 50% of the shares, that person can control the company. Otherwise, the shareholders will have to work together to make decisions.

Definitions of shareholder
  1. noun
    someone who holds shares of stock in a corporation
    synonyms: shareowner, stockholder
    see moresee less
    types:
    stockholder of record
    the stockholder whose name is registered on the books of the corporation as owning the shares at a particular time
    type of:
    investor
    someone who commits capital in order to gain financial returns
Pronunciation
US
/ˌʃɛərˈhoʊldər/
UK
/ˈʃɛəhəʊldə/
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘shareholder'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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