annuity

annuity — noun

1. a fixed sum of money that someone receives every year, often after they retire a

1.名詞C1
釋義

a fixed sum of money that someone receives every year, often after they retire and usually continuing until they die.

例句

After he retired, Mr. Lin began drawing a small annuity of NT$300,000 every January.

draw an annuity of [amount]

The widow lived quietly on a modest annuity left by her late husband.

live on an annuity

同義詞
  • pension

    a regular payment from past employment, usually monthly rather than yearly

  • stipend

    a fixed regular payment, often for a role or studies, not tied to retirement

  • allowance

    money given regularly for a purpose; broader and less formal than annuity

文法句型

receive an annuity of [amount]

draw an annuity from [source]

用法筆記

Subject of 'pay' is usually an institution (a trust, employer, insurer); subject of 'receive' or 'draw' is the individual beneficiary. Often modified by an amount or by 'yearly / annual'.

常見錯誤

❌He earns an annuity from his job.
✅He receives an annuity from his pension fund.
💡you don't 'earn' an annuity; you 'receive' or 'draw' one from a fund or trust.
❌She bought an annuity last week and got NT$50,000.
✅She bought an annuity last week, which will pay NT$50,000 each year.
💡sense 1 refers to the yearly payment itself, not a one-time sum.

2. a contract sold by an insurance company, in which a person pays a lump sum or re

2.名詞C1
釋義

a contract sold by an insurance company, in which a person pays a lump sum or regular premiums and then receives steady payments over a chosen period — for example, a retiree paying NT$5 million now to get a fixed monthly income for life.

例句

At fifty-five, Mrs. Chen bought a fixed annuity to guarantee a steady income after retirement.

buy a fixed annuity

The bank's adviser explained how a deferred annuity could grow tax-free for twenty years.

deferred / variable / fixed annuity

同義詞
  • pension plan

    a retirement product; an annuity is one common form of pension plan

  • retirement plan

    broader umbrella term covering annuities, 401(k)-style accounts, and others

  • insurance contract

    the wider category an annuity belongs to; not all insurance contracts pay regular income

反義詞
  • lump sum

    a single one-time payment, the opposite of the steady stream an annuity provides

文法句型

buy / purchase an annuity

an annuity from [provider]

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1: this sense names the financial product (the contract) itself, while sense 1 names the yearly payment that comes out of it. Often combined with descriptors such as 'fixed', 'variable', 'deferred', or 'immediate'.

常見錯誤

❌I want to invest in annuity at the bank.
✅I want to invest in an annuity at the bank.
💡annuity is countable; use 'an annuity' or 'annuities'.
❌He bought an annuity, so he got the money next week.
✅He bought an annuity, so he will receive payments every month for life.
💡buying an annuity sets up long-term payments, not a one-off cash return.