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

Eligibility was determined using the Medicare Master Beneficiary Summary Files, and participants were followed for an average of 15.3 years.

From Science Daily • May 7, 2026

Beneficiary designations can also result in unintentionally unequal distributions if there’s more than one heir, and complications if the beneficiaries die first or aren’t changed appropriately as life circumstances change.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 21, 2025

For example, the envelope may proclaim, “Medicare Beneficiary Notification” in bold letters, with an alarming-looking red stamp emblazoned across the top reading “SECOND NOTICE.”

From MarketWatch • Oct. 28, 2025

Janny Scott is the author, most recently, of “The Beneficiary: Fortune, Misfortune, and the Story of My Father.”

From New York Times • Jul. 29, 2019

The money each had saved to such a worthy end was collected by Robin and added to the 23 sum on deposit as the Hamilton College Beneficiary Fund in a Hamilton Bank.

From Marjorie Dean, College Senior by Lester, Pauline

Related Words

• heir
• recipient