beneficiary

[ ben-uh-fish-ee-er-ee, -fish-uh-ree ]
See synonyms for: beneficiarybeneficiaries on Thesaurus.com

noun,plural ben·e·fi·ci·ar·ies.
  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.

  1. Ecclesiastical. the holder of a benefice.

Origin of beneficiary

1
First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin beneficiārius, from benefici(um) benefice + -ārius -ary

Other words from beneficiary

  • pre·ben·e·fi·ci·ar·y, noun, plural pre·ben·e·fi·ci·ar·ies.

Words Nearby beneficiary

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use beneficiary in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for beneficiary

beneficiary

/ (ˌbɛnɪˈfɪʃərɪ) /


nounplural -ciaries
  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

  1. the holder of an ecclesiastical or other benefice

  2. NZ a person who receives government assistance: social security beneficiary

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for beneficiary

beneficiary

[ (ben-uh-fish-ee-er-ee, ben-uh-fish-uh-ree) ]


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

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.