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

Nouns

• 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

See Examples For:

beneficiary beneficiaries

"The youth have a big role to play in the journey towards a developed India... the greatest beneficiary of a developed India is the youth of the country."

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

Nasarenko said he was the beneficiary of a 2018 law that grants prison inmates who had served 25 years continuously and were over 60 years old an opportunity to seek elder parole.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

Across all Medicare Advantage plans for individual enrollment, including those with and without prescription-drug coverage, the average Medicare beneficiary could choose from 39 plans in 2026, compared to 42 options in 2025, according to KFF.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026

He has been advising clients in this situation to consider options such as transferring the property to a new trust with the primary resident as the sole beneficiary, a process known as “decanting.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

He was, like so many fortunate Americans, a big beneficiary of Metcalfe’s law.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

Are there particular precautions we should take because of my grandmother’s age, the change in beneficiaries, the HELOC, and the fact that I am accompanying her?

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026

The crack spread has been blown out by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and the biggest beneficiaries include U.S. refiners like Valero Energy, Marathon Petroleum and Philips 66.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

“It is totally standard for MA plans to pay commissions to insurance brokers who sign Medicare beneficiaries up for their plans; this new relationship is plausibly just a variation on that broader theme.”

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026

Supporters of maintaining TPS protections say beneficiaries have become integral parts of the community and economy and provide crucial services.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

They were the beneficiaries of a rigorous ongoing series of analyses about what their opponent’s next moves might be.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell

Related Words

• heir
• recipient