life insurance

American  

noun

1. insurance providing for payment of a sum of money to a named beneficiary upon the death of the policyholder or to the policyholder if still living after reaching a specified age.

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life insurance British  

noun

1. another name for life assurance

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Etymology

Origin of life insurance

First recorded in 1800–10

Example Sentences

There aren’t a lot of cases where purchasing an IUL would make more sense than purchasing permanent life insurance.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026

I would advise against thinking about indexed universal life insurance as a “stock alternative.”

From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026

His offense was trying to close an old life insurance policy that listed his dissident daughter as the beneficiary.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

Somewhere on that paperwork will be a number to call — ideally for a life insurance agent who sold the policy to your parents, but it may be a more generic customer service line.

From Salon • Mar. 24, 2026

It was called life insurance but it was really burial insurance, to make sure that when the insurance holders died, they would at least have a decent funeral.

From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers