death benefit

noun

: money payable to the beneficiary of a deceased

Examples of death benefit in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Prosecutors argued that Vallow Daybell had plotted with her brother, Alex Cox, for months to kill Vallow, her fourth husband, and that the motive was financial – to earn life insurance and other death benefits – and romantic. —Christopher Cann, USA Today, 6 May 2025

At least 29 states offer larger death benefit payments; nine states offer none. —Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 28 Apr. 2025

The primary purpose of permanent life insurance is to provide a death benefit. —Vincent Gregoire, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025

But the state death benefit can prove crucial as expenses quickly pile up, especially for families in which the first responder was the sole or primary income earner. —Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 28 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1867, in the meaning defined above

Legal Definition

death benefit

noun

: money payable to the beneficiary of a deceased as a benefit (as under a policy of life or accident insurance or a pension plan)

Note: The right to death benefits is generally terminated in cases of fraud, as when an insured commits suicide after purchasing a policy or when the beneficiary murders the insured.