death benefit

noun

: money payable to the beneficiary of a deceased

Examples of death benefit in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Its total possible death benefits and its weekly maximum benefits were lower than those in all but a few states. John Hanna, Quartz, 11 Apr. 2024 Other property that avoids probate includes life insurance proceeds, death benefits and accounts that have named beneficiaries. Liz Weston, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Apr. 2024 The nonprofit commission has granted more than 10,000 awards in its 120-year history, distributing $45 million to date in grants, scholarship aid, death benefits and continuing assistance. Doug Thompson, arkansasonline.com, 26 Mar. 2024 The insurance policy, which became effective 10 days before the alleged Valentine's Day poisoning, had a death benefit of $100,000, according to the charging document. Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 26 Mar. 2024 Dividends can be used to increase the cash value or death benefit of a life insurance policy, to reduce premium payments or taken as a cash distribution. Karl Ebert, Journal Sentinel, 21 Feb. 2024 Much of the budget now goes to military equipment orders and high salaries and death benefits for soldiers and their families. Stuart Anderson, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2024 To Feature Game-Changing, Super-Fast Upgrade, New Leak Claims Some people are benefiting from the war economy, including in macabre ways, like death benefits for their husbands or sons, while others are dealing with inflation and declining spending on things like health care. Stuart Anderson, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2024 Either the policy’s cash value or its death benefit in excess of the loan balance is payable to the owner or beneficiary, respectively. Michael Seltzer, Forbes, 19 July 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'death benefit.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1867, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of death benefit was in 1867

Dictionary Entries Near death benefit

Cite this Entry

“Death benefit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/death%20benefit. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.

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.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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