benefit
Americannoun
-
benefits
plural
-
something that is advantageous or good; an advantage.
He explained the benefits of public ownership of the postal system.
-
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.
-
a theatrical performance or other public entertainment to raise money for a charitable organization or cause.
-
Archaic. an act of kindness; good deed; benefaction.
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
idioms
noun
-
something that improves or promotes
-
advantage or sake
this is for your benefit
-
-
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
-
any similar allowance in various other countries
-
-
(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
-
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
-
benefiternoun
-
benefitternoun
-
self-benefitnoun
-
superbenefitnoun
-
prebenefitverb
-
self-benefitingadjective
-
self-benefittingadjective
-
unbenefitedadjective
-
unbenefitingadjective
-
unbenefittedadjective
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Academic Vocabulary Toolkit 1, Words 11-20
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"The Perils of Indifference," Vocabulary from the speech
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Customs and Border Protection and expects to recognize the benefit in the third quarter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
The Trojans stand to benefit more than most from the new eligibility rules this season.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
Disney's third-quarter profits came in at $2.6 billion, about half the level compared with the year-ago period, which was boosted by a large one-time tax benefit.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
It is true that bonds won’t provide much diversification benefit if their performance is just as bad as stocks.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
“A boy like you might benefit from seeing this,” he said.
From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney
There are also tax benefits to look out for, including the child and dependent care tax credit or dependent care FSAs that allow for childcare costs to be paid with pre-tax dollars.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
In the health care benefits segment, revenue rose 3.5% to $37.54 billion, driven by an increase in the government business.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
Once they voted to unionize, the company and the union began negotiating a first contract from the ground up, a process in which existing benefits carry no guarantee.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
Pilates has a lot of benefits, but it’s not known for being especially sweaty or for building larger muscles.
From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026
Study to look at possible benefits of musical training on brain function in young and old.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
Tokyo, which has also benefited from the AI boom, was up three percent, while Taipei added a little more than that.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
The company benefited from the run-up in oil prices following the start of the war in Iran.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
It added that "to date" nearly 2,000 Ethiopians had "benefited from royal amnesties" - without mentioning the crimes or sentences.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
A coming opening in the S&P 500 could be filled by an energy company that has massively benefited from demand for new data centers.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
The authors theorized that the theater students benefited by spending time “reading and learning lines as actors, and possibly reading to carry out research about characters and their settings.”
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
The company is benefiting from revised Excelsior Nickel Cobalt project acquisition terms, planned downstream investments and a debt refinancing, says MS.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 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
China has been able to use less powerful chips to train and run some AI models, but its more advanced versions “are clearly benefiting from Nvidia,” Newman said in emailed comments.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
They were benefiting from people who were running for their lives.
From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah
"If we had started this years ago, everyone would have benefitted," he said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
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
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
Meanwhile, groups such as his are benefitting from the government brain drain.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 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
But Chevron believes its bet on Venezuelan crude will end up benefitting consumers.
From BBC ● Apr. 7, 2026
“I suppose,” observes a fourth, “this is what Maddis calls benefitting his country.”
From English Caricaturists and Graphic Humourists of the Nineteenth Century. How they Illustrated and Interpreted their Times. by Everitt, Graham
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.
