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:
Along the entire coast, public infrastructure that we all benefit from is under threat, including roadways, parks and railroad tracks, and that’s where any public investment ought to go.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
Quarterly cash flow from operations is set to benefit from an exceptional downstream performance and rebounding LNG prices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Such treatments could eventually benefit people who have difficulty exercising, including those recovering from major surgery, serious illness, or chronic conditions such as cancer.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
"You cannot miss out on the 100,000 people who will come. From a business standpoint, you stand to benefit," he told AFP.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
Benji may benefit from daily self-reflection using his own words, the teacher had noted.
From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty
Because problems with the intestinal barrier are associated with several gastrointestinal disorders, a treatment that strengthens this barrier might have benefits beyond protecting the liver.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2026
And it’s no wonder: these accounts have rare triple tax benefits to fund healthcare expenses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
It leaves open how the resulting benefits will be shared among customers, suppliers and shareholders.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
And with good reason, because they offer triple tax benefits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Later, during my time at Public Allies, I saw the benefits of more formal mentoring firsthand.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
It was important to them that if they were going to tell a story about Puerto Rico that was also shot in Puerto Rico, that Puerto Ricans on the island actually benefited from the production.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
While Micron has benefited from the memory supply crunch by being able to raise prices for components, Sankar noted that pricing could start to decline in the third quarter of 2027.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026
The sport's elite clubs and players have benefited from investment and visibility, yet much of the global workforce remains vulnerable.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
Even as some American manufacturers have benefited as their foreign competitors encounter higher barriers, others struggle with ballooning costs and persistent uncertainty.
From Barron's ● Oct. 11, 2026
Though Frenchy’s concepts of reducing were in some cases medieval, they were generally safer than those the jockeys dreamed up on their own, so Woolf probably benefited as a result.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
Its work aims to improve understanding of common diseases and translate laboratory discoveries into new approaches to treatment, benefiting patients in Singapore and internationally.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
“Many people have reservations about this scenario. After all, your son-in-law or daughter-in-law could remarry and the assets you worked a lifetime to accumulate could end up benefiting their new spouse.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026
Halloween's growing popularity is also benefiting supermarkets and retailers selling sweets, decorations and party supplies.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
It also projected that its larger package of restaurant improvements could generate approximately $100,000 in annual gross cash-flow benefits for an average U.S. restaurant, with most of those gains eventually benefiting the bottom line.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
“What I don’t understand is how anybody can say that Obama is benefiting because he’s a black man,” Paula said.
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
In speeches at the event Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania’s governor, and Corey O’Connor, Pittsburgh’s mayor, both spoke of the ways developments from CMU have historically benefitted the city and state.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026
The Natural History Museum's director Dr Doug Gurr said although his museum would have benefitted from charging, the sector would have lost out overall.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
Bitcoin has, along with gold and silver, also benefitted from the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Along with other industrial firms such as France's Schneider Electric and Switzerland's ABB, Siemens has benefitted from demand for data centres that provide the computing power for AI.
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026
Like most things in the Night Zoo, the terms and conditions held by its indentured workers only benefitted one person.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
As Alonso's rivals went into the pits, the Spaniard, benefitting from the reduced gaps caused by the safety car, moved up the field and went on to win the race.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
Meanwhile, groups such as his are benefitting from the government brain drain.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
He expects the array of industries and companies benefitting from the AI boom to continue broadening out in the months ahead.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
Michael also overtook Oppenheimer despite Noan's film benefitting from the viral "Barbenheimer" phenomenon in the summer of 2023.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
The public is benefitting from an explosion of competition and new services.
From State of the Union Address by Jimmy Carter
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