entitlements

Cultural  

1. Federal programs, such as Social Security (see also Social Security), Medicare (see also Medicare) and Medicaid, that disburse money according to fixed formulas to citizens who fall into designated categories. Because entitlements do not require annual congressional appropriations, their cost tends to rise steadily and, in the view of some, out of control.

---

Example Sentences

That meant that through one's career, we earned entitlements to a decent pension set at a fixed proportion of salary.

From BBC • May 17, 2026

Some 95% of that transfer is complete, but negotiations over final entitlements have been stuck for years.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026

More than half of the calls have been about pay and other contractual entitlements while in the war zone.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

The panel has called on leaders to provide extra support for single-parent families, such as more paid leave; and to consider extending existing leave entitlements to grandparents and other family members who take care-giving roles.

From BBC • Jan. 27, 2026

It was, as you might suppose, a person of antiquarian pursuits who said this, but, since he merely appears in this prologue, there is no need to give his entitlements.

From Ghost Stories of an Antiquary by James, M. R. (Montague Rhodes)