deductible

American  

[dih-duhk-tuh-buhl] / dɪˈdʌk tə bəl /

adjective

1. capable of being deducted.

2. allowable as a tax deduction.

   Charitable contributions are deductible expenses.

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noun

• deductibles
  plural

1. the amount for which the insured is liable on each loss, injury, etc., before an insurance company will make payment.

   The deductible on our medical coverage has been raised from $50 to $100 per illness.

deductible British  

/ dɪˈdʌktɪbəl /

adjective

1. capable of being deducted

2. short for tax-deductible

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noun

1. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): excess. insurance a specified contribution towards the cost of a claim, stipulated on certain insurance policies as being payable by the policyholder

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• deductibility
  noun
• nondeductibility
  noun
• nondeductible
  adjective
• undeductible
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• deductibles
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of deductible

First recorded in 1855–60; deduct + -ible

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Explanation

Deductible can be the amount you have to pay before your health insurance kicks in, or it can mean an amount you can take off your taxes for various payments you have already made. Strange that one deductible can be so friendly and the other one so mean. The Latin deducere, meaning "to derive," eventually became the word deduct, meaning "to take away." In the mid-19th century, the word deductible was born, meaning something "may be deducted." As a noun, a deductible is something you pay, such as your insurance deductible. As an adjective, deductible describes something you can subtract from a total, usually from your taxes. Andy Warhol once said, “Employees make the best dates. You don't have to pick them up and they're always tax-deductible.”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

deductible deductibles

But having a plan with a higher deductible puts patients at risk of big medical bills.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 2026

It found that spending declined by as much as 14% when enrollees moved from an employer plan with “completely free health care”—no premium, deductible or in-network cost-sharing—to a plan with a $3,000 deductible.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

Tran’s insurer reimbursed her about $1,350, leaving her responsible for $250 of the bill, equal to her deductible.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

She’s paying $2,100 a month for health insurance with an $8,000 deductible that she already blew through at the start of the year when her 4-year-old son was hospitalized with asthma.

From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026

But it helps their image, it’s tax deductible, and the government backs off some.

From "Bodega Dreams" by Ernesto Quinonez

The account would pay for premiums first, then what remains could cover deductibles, drug copayments and other out-of-pocket costs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026

They enable HSAs to be paired with Bronze and Catastrophic plans, which have the highest deductibles.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Medicare plans might look the same on the surface, but the devil is in details like copayments, deductibles, and covered drugs.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

In addition, the average extra out-of-pocket spending is $869 a year for deductibles and copays and coinsurance that occur when the patient gets medical care.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

The recent catastrophe cost the family a fortune in insurance deductibles.

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

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