life insurance

American

noun

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.

life insurance British

noun

another name for life assurance

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of life insurance

First recorded in 1800–10

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Additionally, SpaceX does not maintain key-person life insurance on Elon Musk.

From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026

“There will be almost no impact on the life insurance industry,” Kett wrote.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026

Certain types of cash-value life insurance can also play a role in indirectly reducing or even avoiding some RMDs.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 3, 2026

WSJ | Buy Side: We analyzed term life insurance companies to find the best options based on cost, coverage and complaints.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026

She had read the terms of his life insurance policy.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023