death benefit

noun

: money payable to the beneficiary of a deceased

Examples of death benefit in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Permanent life insurance, which offers lifelong coverage as long as the policyholder continues to pay premiums, provides both a death benefit and a cash value that grows over time. —Aaron Cirksena, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025

At a minimum, a term life insurance policy that pays a death benefit to the family if a breadwinner dies prematurely can be affordably purchased and should be the foundation of any family’s financial plan. —Lina Storm, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025

Term life insurance Ladder offers term life policies to adults ages 20 to 60 with terms of 10, 15, 20, 25 or 30 years and a death benefit of between $100,000 to $8 million. —Liz Knueven, CNBC, 29 Nov. 2024

Permanent life insurance also typically provides tax-free death benefits, which allow heirs to receive assets in a way that offsets estate taxes. —Aaron Cirksena, Forbes.com, 18 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.