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Synonyms

beneficiary

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

noun

plural

beneficiaries

  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.

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
"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

adjective

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

"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
beneficiary Cultural  

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

Other Word Forms

  • prebeneficiary noun

Etymology

Origin of beneficiary

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

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.

“Some individuals who do not want to re-title bank or brokerage assets into the name of their revocable trusts will simply name the trust as the beneficiary of those accounts on death,” he says.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026

Thill: One beneficiary in software is going to be vertical applications.

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

His offense was trying to close an old life insurance policy that listed his dissident daughter as the beneficiary.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

The tour is free, but donation jars will be set out at the gardens to support the Sheepfold, a crisis center for women and children that has long been the foundation’s annual tour beneficiary.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026

It would have been wholly within character for Holmes to have first persuaded the “brother-in-law” to take out a life insurance policy with Holmes as beneficiary.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.