deductible
B2Formal to Neutral; Common in business, financial, and administrative contexts.
Definition
Meaning
An amount of money that must be paid by the policyholder before an insurance company will cover the remaining costs of a claim.
1. (Noun) A specific sum subtracted from an insured loss. 2. (Adjective) Capable of being deducted, especially for tax purposes.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
As a noun, it is most commonly used in the context of insurance and healthcare. As an adjective, it is primarily used in finance and taxation. The meanings are closely related but belong to different syntactic categories.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
In British English, the noun form 'excess' is far more common than 'deductible' for insurance. The term 'deductible' is understood but marked as American. The adjective 'deductible' (tax-deductible) is standard in both.
Connotations
In the UK, 'deductible' sounds distinctly American or technical/legal. In the US, it is the standard, everyday term for the insurance concept.
Frequency
Very high frequency in US English (insurance, healthcare). Moderate frequency in UK English, primarily in its adjectival form or in multinational business contexts.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
have a [adjective] deductiblethe deductible is [amount][expense] is deductible (from [income/tax])Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Discussions of employee benefits, corporate insurance policies, and expense reporting.
Academic
Used in economics, public policy, or law papers discussing healthcare systems or tax codes.
Everyday
Talking about personal health insurance, car insurance claims, or charitable donations on tax returns.
Technical
Precise definitions in insurance contracts, tax legislation, and financial advisement documents.
Examples
By Part of Speech
adjective
British English
- Charitable donations are tax-deductible in the UK.
- Not all business travel expenses are deductible.
American English
- These mortgage interest payments are tax-deductible.
- Only medically necessary procedures are deductible.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- My car insurance has a $500 deductible.
- Is this donation deductible on my taxes?
- Before choosing a plan, compare the monthly premium against the annual deductible.
- The cost of repairing the damage was less than my deductible, so I paid for it myself.
- High-deductible health plans are often paired with health savings accounts (HSAs).
- The court ruled that the lobbying expenses were not deductible as ordinary business costs.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: You DEDUCT the DEDUCTIBLE. Before insurance kicks in, you must deduct this amount from your claim.
Conceptual Metaphor
A THRESHOLD/GATEWAY. The deductible is the financial threshold you must cross before receiving full coverage.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with 'вычет' in all contexts. For insurance, the British term 'excess' is closer to 'франшиза' (franchise). The adjective 'deductible' (налоговый вычет) is less problematic.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'deduction' instead of 'deductible' for the insurance noun (e.g., 'My deduction is £500').
- Confusing 'deductible' (what you pay) with 'copay' (a fixed fee per service).
- Using the adjective form without a hyphen in compound modifiers (e.g., 'tax deductible' should be 'tax-deductible').
Practice
Quiz
In which sentence is 'deductible' used as an adjective?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
A deductible is an amount you pay annually for covered services before your insurance starts to pay. A copay (or copayment) is a fixed fee you pay for a specific service (like a doctor's visit) even after meeting your deductible.
As a noun meaning the insurance payment threshold, it is vastly more common in the US. In the UK, 'excess' is the standard term. The adjective 'tax-deductible' is common in both.
No. The verb form is 'deduct'. 'Deductible' is only a noun or an adjective.
It means you are responsible for paying the first £1000 of covered expenses in a given period (usually a year). After you have paid that amount, your insurance will begin to share the cost according to your policy terms.