Meaning & use
beneficiary
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Meanings
nouncountablelegal
A person or group named to receive money or property, for example from a will, trust or insurance policy.
Grammar: Often followed by of: the beneficiary of the will.
Patterns
- the beneficiary of something
- name someone as beneficiary
She named her son as the beneficiary of her life insurance.
The charity was the main beneficiary of the will.
Each beneficiary will receive an equal share.
nouncountable
Anyone who gains an advantage or help from something.
Grammar: Usually followed by of: a beneficiary of the new law.
Patterns
- a beneficiary of something
Local shops were the beneficiaries of the new road.
Older workers are the main beneficiaries of the scheme.
The school was the unexpected beneficiary of the donation.
Word forms
| plural | beneficiaries |
|---|
Common combinations
- the sole beneficiary
- His wife was the sole beneficiary of the estate.
- the primary beneficiary
- The primary beneficiary of the fund is the hospital.
- name a beneficiary
- You must name a beneficiary on the form.
- a major beneficiary
- Farmers were major beneficiaries of the subsidy.
- a trust beneficiary
- Every trust beneficiary received a letter.
Synonyms and how they differ
- recipient
- A recipient receives something of any kind, such as a letter, while a beneficiary receives a benefit or legacy.
- heir
- An heir inherits from a person who has died, so it is narrower than beneficiary.
- payee
- A payee is someone who is paid money, usually named on a check.
- legatee
- A legatee receives a legacy under a will and is a rarer, legal word.
Opposites
Word family
- benefit noun
- an advantage or help
- beneficial adjective
- helpful or good for you
- benefactor noun
- someone who gives help or money
- benefit verb
- to gain or to help
Commonly confused: beneficiary or benefactor?
beneficiary vs benefactor
A benefactor gives help or money, while a beneficiary receives it.
Practice
In her will, she made her nephew the sole ___ of her estate.
Choose one answer.
A beneficiary receives the estate. A benefactor gives it, benefit is an advantage, and beneficial is an adjective.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “beneficiary”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.