annuity
Americannoun
plural
annuities-
a specified income payable at stated intervals for a fixed or a contingent period, often for the recipient's life, in consideration of a stipulated premium paid either in prior installment payments or in a single payment.
-
the right to receive such an income, or the duty to make such a payment or payments.
noun
-
a fixed sum payable at specified intervals, esp annually, over a period, such as the recipient's life, or in perpetuity, in return for a premium paid either in instalments or in a single payment
-
the right to receive or the duty to pay such a sum
Discover More
Many people's retirement funds are set up to be paid in annuities.
Other Word Forms
- superannuity noun
Etymology
Origin of annuity
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Anglo-French annuité, annualté, from Medieval Latin annuitās, equivalent to Latin annu(us) “yearly,” derivative of annus “year” + -itās -ity
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He indirectly owned 32,010 shares through an investment entity and an additional 726,542 shares through an annuity trust.
From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026
Anyone who does that is simply buying a golden annuity at a favorable rate.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 26, 2026
“If you pass away first, the remaining annuity funds are used to pay back Medicaid.”
From MarketWatch • Mar. 26, 2026
However, your parents may also have set up a life annuity.
From Salon • Mar. 24, 2026
Mollie’s parents were warned that if they didn’t comply, the government would withhold its annuity payments, leaving the family starving.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
