beneficiary

American  

[ben-uh-fish-ee-er-ee, -fish-uh-ree] / ˌbɛn əˈfɪʃ iˌɛr i, -ˈfɪʃ ə ri /

noun

beneficiaries plural

1. a person or group that receives benefits, profits, or advantages.

2. a person designated as the recipient of funds or other property under a will, trust, insurance policy, etc.

3. Ecclesiastical. the holder of a benefice.

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beneficiary British  

/ ˌbɛnɪˈfɪʃərɪ /

noun

1. a person who gains or benefits in some way from something

2. law a person entitled to receive funds or other property under a trust, will, or insurance policy

3. the holder of an ecclesiastical or other benefice

4. a person who receives government assistance

   social security beneficiary

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adjective

1. of or relating to a benefice or the holder of a benefice

beneficiary Cultural  

1. The recipient of funds, property, or other benefits from an insurance policy, will, trust, or other settlement.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• prebeneficiary
  noun

Inflected Forms

noun

• beneficiaries
  plural

Etymology

Origin of beneficiary

First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin beneficiārius, from benefici(um) benefice + -ārius -ary

Explanation

A beneficiary is simply the recipient of money or other benefits. So when your big sister finally moves away to college and you get to move into her bigger bedroom? You become a lucky beneficiary. In other words — if you benefit from something, you are a beneficiary. This word pops up most commonly when people are creating their wills and trusts — you have to choose beneficiaries as the people who will get what you have when you die. But it isn't always so morbid. You can be the beneficiary of someone's kindness, the beneficiary of a good education, or even the beneficiary of your own hard work.

Example Sentences

This means that the beneficiary list is expanding.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026

Another beneficiary could be European equities, as lower energy prices will help the EU economies and reduce the pressure on policymakers to raise interest rates to combat inflation, says DataTrek co-founder Nicholas Colas.

From Barron's • May 30, 2026

So was Slot purely the beneficiary of taking over ready-made title winners then simply steering them to glory?

From BBC • May 30, 2026

The survey shows Shopify gaining traction beyond its core retail base, and merchants view it as a clear AI beneficiary, with strong intent to adopt AI-enabled workflows over the next 2-3 years.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026

To be here now, alive in the twenty-first century and smart enough to know it, you also had to be the beneficiary of an extraordinary string of biological good fortune.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

Related Words

• heir
• recipient