deductible

American  

[dih-duhk-tuh-buhl] / dɪˈdʌk tə bəl /

adjective

1. capable of being deducted.

2. allowable as a tax deduction.

   Charitable contributions are deductible expenses.

---

noun

• deductibles
  plural

1. the amount for which the insured is liable on each loss, injury, etc., before an insurance company will make payment.

   The deductible on our medical coverage has been raised from $50 to $100 per illness.

deductible British  

/ dɪˈdʌktɪbəl /

adjective

1. capable of being deducted

2. short for tax-deductible

---

noun

1. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): excess. insurance a specified contribution towards the cost of a claim, stipulated on certain insurance policies as being payable by the policyholder

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• deductibility
  noun
• nondeductibility
  noun
• nondeductible
  adjective
• undeductible
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• deductibles
  plural

Etymology

Origin of deductible

First recorded in 1855–60; deduct + -ible

Explanation

Deductible can be the amount you have to pay before your health insurance kicks in, or it can mean an amount you can take off your taxes for various payments you have already made. Strange that one deductible can be so friendly and the other one so mean. The Latin deducere, meaning "to derive," eventually became the word deduct, meaning "to take away." In the mid-19th century, the word deductible was born, meaning something "may be deducted." As a noun, a deductible is something you pay, such as your insurance deductible. As an adjective, deductible describes something you can subtract from a total, usually from your taxes. Andy Warhol once said, “Employees make the best dates. You don't have to pick them up and they're always tax-deductible.”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

deductible deductibles

It found that spending declined by as much as 14% when enrollees moved from an employer plan with “completely free health care”—no premium, deductible or in-network cost-sharing—to a plan with a $3,000 deductible.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

“We fulfilled our $500 deductible and assumed 80% after that would be covered,” Higginbotham said.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

She’s paying $2,100 a month for health insurance with an $8,000 deductible that she already blew through at the start of the year when her 4-year-old son was hospitalized with asthma.

From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026

A deductible determines how much one needs to pay out of pocket before their insurance coverage starts paying for claims.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026

But it helps their image, it’s tax deductible, and the government backs off some.

From "Bodega Dreams" by Ernesto Quinonez

And coinsurance rules routinely require people to shell out even after they have hit their several-thousand-dollar deductibles.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

Even those with insurance are increasingly opting for high deductibles because costs for insurance premiums are so high.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

There would be no deductibles, co-pays or other forms of cost-sharing, except for some brand-name prescription drugs if generics are available.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026

For starters, Medicaid is a needs-based health-insurance program, and does not expose beneficiaries to the high deductibles found in many private plans.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026

The recent catastrophe cost the family a fortune in insurance deductibles.

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman