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policyholder

American  
[pol-uh-see-hohl-der] / ˈpɒl ə siˌhoʊl dər /

noun

  • policyholders
    plural
  1. the individual or firm in whose name an insurance policy is written; an insured.


policyholder British  
/ ˈpɒlɪsɪˌhəʊldə /

noun

  1. a person or organization in whose name an insurance policy is registered

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


Etymology

Origin of policyholder

An Americanism dating back to 1850–55; policy 2 + holder


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.

See Examples For:

In a statement Tuesday, TWG Global decried “multipronged attacks against TWG … by unnamed sources with self-serving interests” and said no insurance policyholder has been hurt as a result of the company’s financial transactions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

“That translated this year to lower auto rates and cash back in the form of a $5 billion policyholder dividend.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

Insurers are natural buyers of the hard-to-trade investments because they can lock up money from policyholder premiums for years without worrying about payouts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026

McCarthy said that “the reduced sentence Mr. Lindberg received reflects the historic and extraordinary efforts by Mr. Lindberg to pay policyholders—an effort that resulted in every U.S. policyholder being paid in full.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026

In my visits to the homes of policyholders to collect premiums, I was accompanied by the superintendent who claimed to the policyholder that he was making a routine inspection.

From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright

He is, however, a defendant in multiple civil lawsuits in which insurance policyholders claim he and several of his companies committed fraud and breach of contract.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

Indexed annuities, which offer policyholders the potential for stock-market-like gains, have surged in popularity over the past decade, helping fuel the private lending of alternative asset managers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

Insurers can change the terms of indexed annuities during the life of a policy, such as lowering the share of market gains paid to policyholders.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026

The cornerstone of Kim’s platform is her call for the state-run property disaster insurance program, which largely would be funded by policyholders.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

This “gambling” method of remuneration was practiced by some of the burial companies because of the tremendous “turnover” in policyholders, and the companies had to have a constant stream of new business to keep afloat.

From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright

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