death benefit

noun

: money payable to the beneficiary of a deceased

Examples of death benefit in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Given that death benefits often go directly to beneficiaries outside of probate, this process might preserve privacy, help with distribution, or potentially help protect assets from complications in legal proceedings. —Nia Bowers, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2025

Google is well-known for its generous death benefits for employees. —Dave Smith, Fortune, 29 July 2025

Lastly, a final expenses policy may be automatically approved with a death benefit big enough to pay for a funeral and other end-of-life costs. —Brian Sloan, CNBC, 1 July 2025

Large signing bonuses for military recruits and death benefits for soldiers killed in Ukraine put additional money into poorer regions of Russia. —Nuri Kino, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 June 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.