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.

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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

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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.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• prebeneficiary
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• 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

See Examples For:

beneficiary beneficiaries

Make sure to update your beneficiary designations, powers of attorney, healthcare directives and will.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026

According to her complaint, Tenisha and Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s premarital agreement stated that the actor should purchase and maintain a term life insurance policy of $1 million with his wife as the sole beneficiary.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

Meanwhile, polling since the third candidate, Mallory McMorrow, dropped out suggests that Stevens has been the larger beneficiary of her support.

From Slate ● Jul. 18, 2026

If her goal is to eventually pass the inheritance on to her own heirs, she should also review her estate plan and make sure the beneficiary designations on her financial accounts are up to date.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 18, 2026

He was, like so many fortunate Americans, a big beneficiary of Metcalfe’s law.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

Our two adult children are equal beneficiaries on their father’s TSP account, my life-insurance policy, and my inherited IRAs.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026

Known as the Record of Emergency Data, this form designates that beneficiaries get $100,000 tax-free cash and any unreceived payments after a servicemember dies.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026

It is far cheaper to bet that clients of midsize banks, often in less-glitzy industries such as construction, will also be among the beneficiaries of the AI boom and need investment-banking services of their own.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

One of its first beneficiaries is Aran Inthakul, 71, a former car mechanic who struggles to move after a bad fall several years ago in front of his makeshift shack on the outskirts of Bangkok.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

Instead of understanding that they were the beneficiaries of history, they began to believe they were the creators of it.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger

Related Words

• heir
• recipient