noun
beneficiary
behn-ih-FIHSH-uhr-ee
noun
1
A person who receives an advantage or gain from something.
"Small businesses were the main beneficiaries of the new tax break."
2
A person named to receive money or property from a will, trust, or insurance policy.
"She named her son as the sole beneficiary of her life insurance policy."
"The estate's beneficiaries met with the lawyer to go over the will."
How to Use Beneficiary
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe person who ends up receiving the money, property, or advantage — for example, from a will or insurance policy.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
sole beneficiary
named beneficiary
beneficiary of a will
Word Forms
beneficiaries plural
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She named her son as the sole _____ of her life insurance policy.
Etymology
From Latin beneficiarius, "one granted a favor or privilege," from beneficium ("benefit") — making it a distant cousin of "benefactor," even though the two words end up meaning close to opposites in everyday use.