beneficiary

American  

[ben-uh-fish-ee-er-ee, -fish-uh-ree] / ˌbɛn əˈfɪʃ iˌɛr i, -ˈfɪʃ ə ri /

noun

beneficiaries plural

1. a person or group that receives benefits, profits, or advantages.

2. a person designated as the recipient of funds or other property under a will, trust, insurance policy, etc.

3. Ecclesiastical. the holder of a benefice.

---

beneficiary British  

/ ˌbɛnɪˈfɪʃərɪ /

noun

1. a person who gains or benefits in some way from something

2. law a person entitled to receive funds or other property under a trust, will, or insurance policy

3. the holder of an ecclesiastical or other benefice

4. a person who receives government assistance

   social security beneficiary

---

adjective

1. of or relating to a benefice or the holder of a benefice

beneficiary Cultural  

1. The recipient of funds, property, or other benefits from an insurance policy, will, trust, or other settlement.

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• prebeneficiary
  noun

Inflected Forms

noun

• beneficiaries
  plural

Etymology

Origin of beneficiary

First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin beneficiārius, from benefici(um) benefice + -ārius -ary

Explanation

A beneficiary is simply the recipient of money or other benefits. So when your big sister finally moves away to college and you get to move into her bigger bedroom? You become a lucky beneficiary. In other words — if you benefit from something, you are a beneficiary. This word pops up most commonly when people are creating their wills and trusts — you have to choose beneficiaries as the people who will get what you have when you die. But it isn't always so morbid. You can be the beneficiary of someone's kindness, the beneficiary of a good education, or even the beneficiary of your own hard work.

Example Sentences

Although I am the beneficiary, I’m considering changing it to make the beneficiaries our two children, who could certainly use the money — if that day ever comes.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026

But both supporters and critics of Becerra struggle to explain exactly how or why he became the main beneficiary of Swalwell’s downfall.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 2026

Still, as Barron’s argued in our recent stock pick, Nvidia looks relatively cheap and so long as AI spending continues to increase it should be a major beneficiary.

From Barron's • Jun. 3, 2026

Arm is the architecture beneficiary and Microsoft is the Windows AI gatekeeper, she notes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026

The University of California was a logical beneficiary of his own patent rights, since Cottrell’s work had been done in its laboratories.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Related Words

• heir
• recipient