shareholder

Definition

n. a person or company that owns at least one part of a business. Because they own a piece of the company, they can get a share of the profits and sometimes vote on how the business is run.

n. an individual or institution that legally owns one or more shares of stock in a public or private corporation. This ownership typically grants rights to a portion of the company's earnings and the ability to vote on corporate policy.

simple

“The company sent a report to every shareholder.”

contextual

“The board of directors met yesterday to discuss how to increase value for each shareholder after a difficult fiscal year.”

complex

“Institutional shareholders often exert significant pressure on executive boards to adopt more transparent environmental policies, leveraging their massive equity stakes to force a vote during the annual general meeting.”

Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “shareholder” in context.

Verb

01. appease disgruntled shareholders

“The board offered a higher dividend to appease disgruntled shareholders after the stock price plummeted.”

verb + adj + noun

02. maximize shareholder value

“The CEO's primary objective is to maximize shareholder value through strategic acquisitions.”

verb + noun + noun

03. protect the interests of shareholders

“New regulations were introduced to protect the interests of shareholders against corporate mismanagement.”

verb + noun + of + noun

Adjective

04. activist shareholder

“An activist shareholder is pushing for the company to adopt more sustainable environmental policies.”

adj + noun

05. institutional shareholders

“Institutional shareholders, such as pension funds, often exert significant pressure on the board.”

adj + noun

06. majority shareholder

“As the majority shareholder, she has the final say in all major corporate decisions.”

adj + noun

Noun

07. annual general meeting of shareholders

“The annual general meeting of shareholders will be held via video conference this year.”

adj + noun + of + noun

08. shareholder resolution

“The shareholder resolution regarding executive pay was narrowly defeated at the annual meeting.”

noun + noun

Often used in the plural when discussing corporate governance or market reactions.

“It improved value for shareholders, but it decreased value for debt holders.”

Phys.org 12 Aug 2026

“That suggests the group will be in pole position to become majority shareholders if Fenway wants to sell up, but according to one source, no commitments have been made to do so.”

BBC News 14 Aug 2026

“What he found was the firms that kept their DEI policies or voted down anti-DEI shareholder resolutions did just as well financially, even after Trump’s executive order, as firms that didn’t.”

The Guardian 14 Aug 2026

From share + holder.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

VERB

NOUN

shareholder(C1)