dividend.

1. A distribution of earnings or value by a company or fund to its owners or investors under the relevant arrangements.

2. The number or quantity being divided by another in a division operation.

3. A benefit or advantageous return resulting from an action or condition.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• cash dividend
• dividend payment

On the page

The cash dividend distributed part of the company’s available earnings to shareholders.

The dividend payment did not guarantee that the investment’s overall return was positive.

Usage notes

Primary category: economics / business / social science. Forms: Singular dividend; plural dividends. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: economic process explanation, financial distinction, incentive analysis, institutional change. Disciplines: economics, business, public policy. Commonness: moderately common.