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:
Bisgrove said: "In the course of the fraud, they took millions of pounds which they used for their own benefit to buy cars, luxury goods and property."
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
The planned actions should create a higher growth business which will benefit from structural tailwinds, the analysts say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
"It's become a global access issue; many patients who would benefit from CAR-T cells either can't afford them or can't get them fast enough," Eyquem said.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026
I just want the money to make a difference while they’re young enough to benefit from it.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026
Were the Australian extinction an isolated event, we could grant humans the benefit of the doubt.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
True Food Kitchen has also filed first-day motions seeking court approval to continue operations during the bankruptcy process, including paying employee wages and benefits.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
One peer-reviewed study estimated the socially optimal recycling rate—the point at which benefits, including environmental ones, most exceed costs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
These tools may offer real benefits even as they addict and distract us.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
But where augmented surveillance tools might be troubling from a civil liberties perspective, they have unarguable safety benefits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
There are jobs, and there are jobs with benefits.
From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas
On the other hand, it has benefited from higher prices and its traders being able to sell liquefied natural gas from North America to higher-paying European customers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
But only 35 percent considered it benefited Venezuela, compared to 28 percent who said it harmed the Caribbean country.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
In the San Francisco area, even as tech companies have benefited from hundreds of billions of dollars in AI investments, major companies such as Google, Salesforce and Facebook owner Meta have cut staff.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
Perhaps, given your vocation, you also benefited from a parsonage at some point.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 26, 2026
He told the German officials that he was an importer in America, hinting that Germany somehow benefited from his work.
From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple
Refineries unaffected by the conflict are thus benefiting from the tightening global supply of such products.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
The state’s aerospace industry is further benefiting from increased commercial aircraft production, defense purchases, space exploration and satellite production, it said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
Taiwan is benefiting from its unique position as the world’s most important semiconductor production hub.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
There’s no question that Micron Technology is benefiting from robust artificial-intelligence spending.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
Dear Miss Wright: We trust that you have been benefiting from your first year at the New York School of Fine Arts.
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
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
Like Arthur Fery, his 2019 Wimbledon boys' doubles partners who shot up the rankings following an unexpected run to this year's SW19 semi-finals, Samuel has benefitted from the American collegiate system.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
Bitcoin has, along with gold and silver, also benefitted from the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
"If we had started this years ago, everyone would have benefitted," he said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 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
Appears to be benefitting from a run of games with the same back four.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
Chacin said the expanded police presence could help stem violence, but that tackling organized crime required, above all, following the money -- investigating how the proceeds are laundered and who is benefitting most.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
Meanwhile, groups such as his are benefitting from the government brain drain.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
Semiconductors and semiconductor equipment, which are closest to the physical bottlenecks of the AI buildout, have been among the sectors benefitting most from the spending boom.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 12, 2026
The extension and enforcement of proper game laws would benefit sport directly, while indirectly benefitting all the other interests.
From Animal Sanctuaries in Labrador An Address Presented by Lt.-Colonel William Wood, F.R.S.C. before the Second Annual Meeting of the Commission of Conservation at Quebec, January, 1911 by William Charles Henry Wood
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.
