benefit
Americannoun
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benefits
plural
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something that is advantageous or good; an advantage.
He explained the benefits of public ownership of the postal system.
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a payment or gift, as one made to help someone or given by an employer, an insurance company, or a public agency.
The company offers its employees a pension plan, free health insurance, and other benefits.
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a theatrical performance or other public entertainment to raise money for a charitable organization or cause.
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Archaic. an act of kindness; good deed; benefaction.
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
idioms
noun
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something that improves or promotes
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advantage or sake
this is for your benefit
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an allowance paid by the government as for sickness, unemployment, etc, to which a person is entitled under social security or the national insurance scheme
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any similar allowance in various other countries
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(sometimes plural) a payment or series of payments made by an institution, such as an insurance company or trade union, to a person who is ill, unemployed, etc
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a theatrical performance, sports event, etc, to raise money for a charity
verb
Usage
What are other ways to say benefit?
A benefit is something that is advantageous or good. When should you use benefit instead of advantage or profit? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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benefiternoun
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benefitternoun
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self-benefitnoun
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superbenefitnoun
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prebenefitverb
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self-benefitingadjective
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self-benefittingadjective
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unbenefitedadjective
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unbenefitingadjective
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unbenefittedadjective
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unbenefittingadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of benefit
First recorded in 1350–1400; late Middle English noun benefytt, benefett, alteration (with Latinized first syllable) of Middle English b(i)enfet, benefait, from Anglo-French benfet, Middle French bienfait, from Latin benefactum “good deed”; see bene- ( def. ), fact ( def. )
Explanation
A benefit is something that helps you, whether in the form of health insurance provided by an employer, welfare given by the government to those in need, or the benefit of the doubt extended to you by a friend. The Latin bene- "good" is at the heart of the word benefit, which derives from the Latin benefactum "good deed." When attendance at a party or an event raises money for a charity, the event is referred to as a benefit in that charity's honor.
Vocabulary lists containing benefit
Take the Bad with the Good: Bene and Mal
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Academic Vocabulary Toolkit 1, Words 11-20
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"The Perils of Indifference," Vocabulary from the speech
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
In addition to protecting nerve cells and supporting mitochondrial function, the compound appeared to benefit the heart and affect some signs of aging in the mice.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026
One of the peculiar things about these machines is that they seem to benefit from positive reinforcement, just like mere humans.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
It is not linked to someone's savings or income and does not affect other benefits, or the benefit cap.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
Now, however, I am a senior citizen who can look at events with the benefit of perspective and hindsight, and thus I have decided to forgive Don Nelson.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026
Unlike washing the dead, payment could be received for shemira, since it was for the benefit of the living.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
Two wins, two draws and two defeats might look average, but the benefits are clear.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
Cardiologists have long investigated whether digoxin could provide additional benefits as a fifth treatment.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026
Once certain thresholds are reached, up to 85% of your Social Security benefits can be included in taxable income.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026
Tepache, a fermented Mexican pineapple beverage that has recently gone mass-market, is another drink with purported wellness benefits that include gut health.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
As much as I valued education and was experiencing the benefits of mine, I didn’t want my girls’ lives to be endangered.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
He also wants individual institutions that benefited from the slave trade to be held accountable and pay compensation.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
Over many decades, homeowners benefited handsomely from leverage, because they were able to borrow cheaply for 30 years at low fixed interest rates.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
They defended the status quo against various liberation movements and labor coalitions, fighting to keep everything as it had always been in service of the people who most benefited from the old arrangement.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
The company has benefited from investments in infrastructure to train cutting-edge AI models, strengthening networks and general equipment refreshes in American corporations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
Those of us who were privileged to be his friends benefited from his example, not to mention his help and encouragement, with which he was always generous.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
Many homeowners benefiting from low rates from years ago have opted to stay put to maintain their rates, which has dragged down available inventory.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
Blanche has taken steps to curry Murkowski’s favor in recent months, visiting Alaska and announcing a $400-million settlement benefiting Alaska natives’ healthcare in July.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Meanwhile, a stock-market rally fueled by the rise in shares of chip makers and other companies benefiting from the AI boom has led to a massive increase in household wealth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
Car sales have been surprisingly strong in 2026, benefiting from the so-called wealth effect tied to the boom in U.S. stocks.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026
Since when did Ritu auntie think in terms of benefiting a woman’s career?
From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon
In the new era of revenue sharing, particularly because of NIL rights, student athletes have benefitted.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
The backdrop has Conger’s team underweight on the Magnificent Seven and semiconductors, which have benefitted from the artificial-intelligence spending blitz.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
One family who recently benefitted from a holiday was Brad and his eight-year-old daughter Skyla who is autistic and has ADHD.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
A recent wave of worries about AI spending that has weighed on the chip sector is also now spreading to other parts of the market that benefitted from billions in data center buildout spending.
From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026
Although slavery is mostly associated with the American South, the entire country, as it grew, benefitted from the enslavement of people, primarily Africans and African Americans.
From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
Vance is still benefitting from “Hillbilly Elegy” as well.
From Salon ● Jun. 25, 2026
But it has been the destruction of forests and mining further upstream which may have flushed the nutrients, like nitrogen, from soils into waterways, benefitting the mangroves down the river.
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026
It was a starry, starry night at Thursday’s sold-out Hollywood Bowl Netflix is a Joke Presents: Night of Too Many Stars epic comic bonanza fundraiser benefitting autism programs nationwide, including Autism Speaks.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2026
The marketing rules behind Medicare Advantage are about to get looser, benefitting brokers and agents that sell the private-insurance alternative to traditional Medicare.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 24, 2026
"It is so much your concern that if you commit so egregious a blunder as to denounce yourself, you will have ruined yourself, without materially benefitting me."
From Bardelys the Magnificent; being an account of the strange wooing pursued by the Sieur Marcel de Saint-Pol, marquis of Bardelys... by Rafael Sabatini
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
