double indemnity

American  

noun

1. a clause in a life-insurance or accident-insurance policy providing for payment of twice the face value of the policy in the event of accidental death.

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double indemnity British  

noun

1. (in life assurance policies) a clause providing for the payment of double the policy's face value in the event of the policyholder's accidental death

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double indemnity Cultural  

1. A feature of life insurance policies stating that the insurer will pay twice the face value of the policy if the insured dies accidentally.

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Etymology

Origin of double indemnity

An Americanism dating back to 1920–25

Example Sentences

NFL nor IBM should be involved. that is a form of double indemnity.

From New York Times • Oct. 21, 2016

She was enchanted, she said, with the effect this double indemnity had on her writing.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 25, 2016

A year ago, two other insurance companies, conceding Granberg's death, told his wife they would not pay double indemnity, or extra accident benefits, because they thought Granberg had died of a heart attack, not drowning.

From Time Magazine Archive

Equitable Life Assurance Society refused to pay double indemnity on Gibbs's $2,500 policy because of a stipulative clause that death in a "submarine or aeronautical expedition" did not call for double payment.

From Time Magazine Archive

It was the first payment on a forty-thousand-dollar policy that in the event of death by accidental means, paid double indemnity.

From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote