death benefit

noun

: money payable to the beneficiary of a deceased

Examples of death benefit in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Perhaps in recognition of this concern, the People’s Liberation Army amended its policies to allow parents as well as spouses to claim death benefits for a soldier killed in the line of duty. —Joshua Keating, Vox, 18 June 2024

The dead worker’s dependents, usually their spouse or children, may be able to qualify for death benefits and burial expenses from the workers’ compensation insurer. —Maryam Jameel, ProPublica, 3 June 2024

Farley's total compensation broke down as $1.7 million in salary, nearly $15.2 million in stock awards, nearly $2.8 million in incentive plan compensation, and the balance in other payments for items such as evaluation vehicles and life insurance/death benefit. —Jamie L. Lareau, Detroit Free Press, 24 Apr. 2024

This took the form of financial assistance through death benefits, insurance, health care, and vittles for the poor and hungry. —Faron Levesque, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 May 2024

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.