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:
The government said its priority was connecting data centres to the grid so they could benefit from the UK's rapidly decarbonising power sector.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026
“I hope it creates a high tide and everybody on the Sunset Strip gets the benefit of the tide rising and gets lifted up,” he says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026
But he said he and his partners aren’t pursuing the tax breaks themselves and don’t expect to benefit from the tax break directly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
It is a public benefit corporation, legally required to weigh its mission of developing AI safely alongside shareholder returns.
From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026
It paid a fair wage and included a benefit she had not fully appreciated before: time to herself.
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
Because the money is going to benefits instead.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026
The Bass administration has increased pay and benefits to thousands of city employees and police officers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026
The government claims the UK economy will eventually see £5.1bn worth of annual benefits.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026
Managing body weight may help slow cognitive decline, with possible benefits becoming apparent within just two years.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 2, 2026
This chapter covers some of this research in terms of music processing, active listening, and benefits of the music-brain connection.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
They have mostly benefited people like me — high-earning workers with big retirement accounts who work in big cities along the coast.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 1, 2026
Bass, for her part, benefited from $2 million in spending by the downtown-based Central City Assn. during the runoff.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2026
The company benefited from organic sales growth of 5.1%, topping its 3% target.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
Together, the results suggest that crocodiles may have benefited from living in regions where temperatures remained within their preferred range, even as conditions became much less favorable for many dinosaurs.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 30, 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
There wasn’t an obvious catalyst driving shares higher, but they were probably just benefiting from a broader market rebound.
From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026
Verstappen benefiting from the internal battle to take his third win in four races.
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026
“They’re benefiting on the margin, but not in a significant way like you may think,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
The share of orders benefiting from the technology matters more than a fleet count alone.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026
So have the early researchers, like Dr. Strayer, who were often sailing against headwinds generated by the corporations and profiteers benefiting from connected drivers.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
Both producers posted a sharp increase in third-quarter earnings as their oil refining units benefitted from a spike in fuel prices related to war-related disruptions in Middle East and Russian exports.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
Meanwhile, Hosseini noted that logic chips, such as central processing units, have also benefitted from rising average prices, though “recent trends suggest a period of stabilization.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
Bitcoin has, along with gold and silver, also benefitted from the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
She noted that Europe had long benefitted from "three pillars" -- a rules-based global order underpinned by US security guarantees, cheap energy and expanding global trade.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
Washington did not think his slaves “would be benefitted by the change,” he wrote to his personal secretary.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
The prime minister's official deputy spokeswoman rejected the claims, stating the police have the government's "full backing" and are benefitting from investment.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
Oil-services company Halliburton reported quarterly earnings and revenue growth, benefitting from elevated oil prices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
Tesla shares may also be benefitting from the company’s recent disclosure that it would provide details next month about the European launch of its electric Semi truck.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026
Meanwhile, groups such as his are benefitting from the government brain drain.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
For a being, all whose wishes are fulfilled, could concern itself about others only with a view to benefitting them.
From The Vedanta-Sutras with the Commentary by Ramanuja — Sacred Books of the East, Volume 48 by George Thibaut
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