Meaning & use
shareholding
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Meanings
nouncountable
The shares that a person or organization owns in a company, considered as a single amount.
Grammar: Countable: a shareholding, a large shareholding. Often used with size words like 'majority' or 'minority'.
Patterns
- a majority shareholding in something
- a minority shareholding in something
- a large shareholding
She sold her majority shareholding in the family business last year.
The investment fund holds a small shareholding in several technology companies.
A minority shareholding still gives him the right to attend shareholder meetings.
noununcountablebusiness
The activity or practice of owning shares in companies.
Grammar: Uncountable: shareholding is common among employees. Do not say 'a shareholding' for this general activity.
Patterns
- employee shareholding
- broad-based shareholding
Employee shareholding has grown since the company introduced its new plan.
The report examines patterns of shareholding among small investors.
Word forms
| plural | shareholdings |
|---|
Common combinations
- majority shareholding
- The parent company bought a majority shareholding in the startup.
- minority shareholding
- They kept a minority shareholding after the merger.
- a 30% shareholding
- She has a 30% shareholding in the restaurant.
- sell a shareholding
- He decided to sell his shareholding and retire.
- acquire a shareholding
- The bank acquired a shareholding in the insurance firm.
Synonyms and how they differ
- stake
- More common in American English and slightly more informal; it can also mean a share in any kind of business deal.
- equity
- A broader finance term for ownership value; 'shareholding' refers specifically to the shares themselves.
- interest
- A general word for a financial stake; it can also mean simply curiosity or attention, so it is less precise.
Word family
- shareholder noun
- A person or organization that owns shares in a company.
- share noun
- One of the equal parts into which a company's ownership is divided.
- shareholder value noun
- The financial worth that a company provides to its shareholders.
Commonly confused: shareholding or shareholder? shareholding or stakeholding?
shareholding vs shareholder
A shareholder is the person; a shareholding is the shares that person owns.
shareholding vs stakeholding
Stakeholding is a broader idea about everyone involved in a company or society having a voice; shareholding is only about owning shares.
Practice
After the merger, the founder retained a minority ______ in the company.
Choose one answer.
'Shareholding' is the amount of shares owned, so 'a minority shareholding' is correct. 'Shareholder' is the person, not the amount, and 'sharehold' and 'sharing' are not nouns used in this way.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “shareholding”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.