survivorship

American  

[ser-vahy-ver-ship] / sərˈvaɪ vərˌʃɪp /

noun

1. the state of being a survivor.

2. Law. a right of a person to property on the death of another having a joint interest: in the case of more than two joint tenants, the property passes to successive survivors.

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Etymology

Origin of survivorship

First recorded in 1615–25; survivor + -ship

Example Sentences

For example, bank accounts owned by joint tenants with right of survivorship will automatically pass to the surviving account holder, no matter what the will says.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

The researchers propose that rising NDRG1 levels reflect what they call a "cellular survivorship bias."

From Science Daily • Feb. 23, 2026

Am I being fair in insisting on the rights of survivorship?

From MarketWatch • Feb. 12, 2026

Even if one Social Security benefit goes away after death, people with survivorship pensions and required minimum distributions on other retirement accounts can find themselves in a higher tax bracket, he said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 4, 2026

D'Alembert cast his views on Bailly, hinted to him the survivorship to Fouchy, and proposed to him, by way of preparing the way, to write some biographies.

From Biographies of Distinguished Scientific Men by Grant, Robert