Meaning & use
being a shareholder
Last updated
Meaning
phrasefixed phrase
The state of owning shares in a company, which gives you a small part of it and certain rights.
Grammar: Used as a noun phrase after 'being': Being a shareholder comes with rights and risks.
Patterns
- being a shareholder in something
- the benefits of being a shareholder
Being a shareholder means you can vote at the annual meeting.
He enjoys being a shareholder in a small tech company.
Being a shareholder does not guarantee you a say in daily decisions.
Common combinations
- being a shareholder in a company
- Being a shareholder in a company gives you part ownership.
- the rights of being a shareholder
- She explained the rights of being a shareholder.
- benefits of being a shareholder
- One benefit of being a shareholder is receiving dividends.
Synonyms and how they differ
- stockholder
- The same meaning, but more common in American English.
- investor
- Broader; an investor may buy bonds or property, not only shares.
Word family
- shareholder noun
- A person who owns shares.
- shareholding noun
- The shares someone owns.
Commonly confused: being a shareholder or stakeholder?
being a shareholder vs stakeholder
A stakeholder is anyone affected by a company (workers, customers); a shareholder owns shares.
Practice
What does 'being a shareholder' typically allow you to do?
Choose one answer.
Shareholders own part of the company, so they can vote on big issues and may get dividends. They don't run daily operations or get free products.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “being a shareholder”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.