share
share — verb
- sharepresent simple I / you / we / they
- shareshe / she / it
- sharedpast simple
- sharing-ing form
1. Two or more people who share something each have the right to use it, either tog
Two or more people who share something each have the right to use it, either together or one after another.
Paul and Talia share a small flat near the train station.
share + noun (living space)
The children share a bathroom every morning before school.
During the camping trip, Owen and Lara shared a tent.
share + noun (temporary space)
Dr. Okafor's team shares a centrifuge with the biochemistry lab on the third floor.
Our office shares a printer with the marketing team on the same floor.
- share a room
- share an apartment
- share resources
- share equipment
- share with
- monopolise
to keep something for oneself alone
Grammar Patterns
share + noun
share + noun + with + person
Usage Note
Frequently used with nouns for living spaces (room, flat, house) and shared resources (computer, equipment, car). The preposition with introduces the other user or group.
Common Mistakes
2. to split something, such as food, money, or goods, into parts and give each part
to split something, such as food, money, or goods, into parts and give each part to a different person.
Padma shared her lunch with a classmate who forgot to bring any.
share + noun + with + person (food)
The three friends shared the prize money equally after the contest.
Christopher and Élise shared the cost of the taxi to the airport.
share + noun (cost/expense)
Tendai shared the birthday cake among all ten guests at the party.
The children shared the sweets their grandmother had given them.
- share food
- share money
- share costs
- share equally
- share among
- distribute
more formal, implies a planned allocation
- divvy up
informal, implies casual division
Grammar Patterns
share + noun + among/between + people
Usage Note
Usually involves concrete items (food, money, goods). Use among for three or more recipients and between for two recipients.
Common Mistakes
3. to each take part in doing a job or carrying out a task, with everyone doing som
to each take part in doing a job or carrying out a task, with everyone doing some of the work.
Indra and Paul share the responsibility of walking the dog each evening.
share + noun (responsibility/duty)
The two teams shared the task of decorating the hall for the festival.
Owen and Talia share the cooking duties while their children do the dishes.
share + noun (shared task)
The parents share the school run, taking turns each morning.
Yara and her colleagues share the workload during the busy summer season.
- share responsibilities
- share duties
- share the workload
- share tasks
- share chores
- monopolise
to take control of a task, unwilling to let others help
Grammar Patterns
share + noun (task/responsibility)
Usage Note
The subject is always two or more people or groups; cannot be used with a singular subject alone. The object is typically a duty, task, or responsibility.
Common Mistakes
4. to each possess some of the same characteristics, tastes, or memories as another
to each possess some of the same characteristics, tastes, or memories as another person.
Anya and Mizuki share a love of classical music and often go to concerts.
share + noun (feeling/interest)
The three novels share a dark and mysterious atmosphere that readers enjoy.
Tara and Ada share a strong interest in protecting the natural environment.
share + noun (abstract quality)
Many of Lara's colleagues share her concern about the new company policy.
Both cities share a similar climate with hot summers and mild winters.
- share an interest
- share a concern
- share a belief
- share a view
- share an experience
- have in common
phrasal, less formal, means the same thing
- possess jointly
formal, legal tone
- differ
to be unlike or distinct
Grammar Patterns
share + noun (feeling/quality/experience)
Usage Note
Common with abstract nouns such as interest, concern, view, belief, value, and experience. The subject can refer to people or inanimate things (cities, books, organisations).
Common Mistakes
5. to tell someone your private thoughts, feelings, or personal experiences so they
to tell someone your private thoughts, feelings, or personal experiences so they can understand or support you.
Maeve shared her worries about the exam with her mother over dinner.
share + noun (thoughts/feelings) + with + person
Christopher shared his travel stories with the members of the photography club.
Élise felt comfortable enough to share her feelings with the support group.
share + noun (feelings) + with + group
Padma shared the exciting news of her promotion with her closest friends.
Paul shared his plans for the future with his brother during a long walk.
- share feelings
- share thoughts
- share news
- share experiences
- share secrets
- share with
Grammar Patterns
share + noun + with + person
Usage Note
Often involves personal or emotional content. The preposition with is required before the listener. Unlike tell, share does not take an indirect object directly — 'share me' is incorrect; use 'share with me'.
Common Mistakes
6. to put content such as links, images, videos, or notes onto a social networking
to put content such as links, images, videos, or notes onto a social networking site for other users to view.
Yara shared a funny video of her cat on Instagram last night.
share + noun (media) + on + platform
Tendai shared an article about climate change on his Facebook page.
Hoa shared the wedding reception photos in an online album for all the guests.
Anya shared a recipe for vegan chocolate cake on her cooking blog.
share + noun (content) + on + platform (blog)
Owen shared a link to the charity fundraiser with his Twitter followers.
- share a photo
- share a video
- share a link
- share on Facebook
- share on social media
Grammar Patterns
share + noun + on + platform
Usage Note
This sense emerged with the rise of social media in the early 2000s. Use the preposition on before the platform name (on Facebook, on Instagram, on Twitter).
Common Mistakes
Everyone should divide things equally and fairly.
The children agreed to share and share alike with the candy.
In our team, we share and share alike when we win prizes.
Talking about your problems with someone makes them feel less serious.
Mia told her friend about her worries, knowing a trouble shared is a trouble halved.
Remember, a trouble shared is a trouble halved, so call me anytime.
share — noun
- sharesingular
- sharesplural
1. an amount or piece of something that one person in a larger group is entitled to
an amount or piece of something that one person in a larger group is entitled to, typically after the whole has been split.
Each child received their share of the inheritance from their grandfather.
possessive + share + of + noun
Paul paid his share of the restaurant bill before the others arrived.
The Mekong Delta provides a large share of Vietnam's rice exports each year.
adjective + share + of + noun
Everyone in the team has done their fair share of the work this month.
Lara gave away her share of the concert tickets to a colleague who needed them.
- fair share
- share of
- my share
- your share
- equal share
- whole
the entire amount
Usage Note
Often preceded by a possessive (my share, her share) or a determiner (a share, the share). Use of to indicate what is being divided.
Common Mistakes
2. the degree to which someone participates in or contributes to a situation, activ
the degree to which someone participates in or contributes to a situation, activity, or task.
The doctor's share in the patient's recovery was recognised by the hospital.
possessive + share + in + noun (contribution)
Hari's firm and a Tokyo lab had a share in creating the AI translation tool.
Talia's share of the responsibility grew after the project manager left.
possessive + share + of + noun (responsibility)
The teacher accepted her share of the blame for the misunderstanding with parents.
Each volunteer's share of the food-packing work was listed on the charity's task sheet.
- share in
- share of the responsibility
- share of the blame
- share of the work
- contribution
emphasises what one gives or adds
- role
focuses on the function or part one plays
Usage Note
Followed by in or of to indicate what is being participated in. Emphasises the degree of involvement rather than a physical portion of something.
3. a unit of ownership in a company that represents a portion of its total value, w
a unit of ownership in a company that represents a portion of its total value, which investors can buy and sell.
Indra bought two hundred shares in the technology company last year.
number + shares + in + company
The price of each share rose sharply after the company announced record profits.
Christopher sold his shares when the stock market reached its highest point.
possessive + shares (investment context)
SoraTech's board decided to issue new shares to fund the factory expansion in Vietnam.
Owning shares gives you the right to vote at the company's annual meeting.
- buy shares
- sell shares
- share price
- shares in
- issue shares
- stock
used more in American English, often as uncountable (stock)
Usage Note
In American English, shares are commonly referred to as stocks. In British English, shares is the standard term. Countable noun: one share, two shares.
Common Mistakes
4. an instance of posting or reposting content on a social networking website so th
an instance of posting or reposting content on a social networking website so that other users can see it.
The video got over ten thousand shares within the first hour online.
number + shares (social media metric)
Each share of the lost-dog poster helped reach pet owners across the Taipei area.
The charity campaign gained thousands of shares on social media last week.
gained + number + shares + on + platform
Mira's share of the morning news post reached most of her followers.
Shares of the school's scholarship post brought in forty new donations by morning.
- get shares
- number of shares
- thousands of shares
- share count
- repost
specifically sharing someone else's original content
Usage Note
Often used as a countable noun in social media analytics (10,000 shares). Can refer to both the act of sharing and the number of times content was reshared.
Word family
- sharedadjectiveB1
- sharingnounB1
- shareholdernounB2
- shareableadjectiveB2
- unsharedadjectiveC1
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/1
Share suggests joint use or mutual possession without necessarily separating something into distinct parts. For example, 'We share the car' means both people can use it whenever needed. Divide implies cutting something into separate portions that are then kept apart: 'They divided the land into three equal sections.' Split is more informal than share and divide and often suggests an equal division between two parties: 'Let's split the bill.' Distribute is the most formal of the four and implies giving things out to many recipients in a planned way: 'The charity distributed emergency supplies to the affected villages.' A learner who wants to say 'My sister and I share a bedroom' would not naturally use any of the other three words — that sentence describes joint use, not separation or formal allocation.
Common collocations
Etymology
Comes from Old English scearu, meaning a cutting, division, or shearing — related to the verb sceran (to cut). In Middle English it came to mean 'a portion divided among people.' The sense of 'telling someone your thoughts' developed in the 1500s, and the social media meaning emerged in the early 2000s with the rise of online platforms.