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:
As a side benefit, the strategy helped improve manufacturing yields.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
The achievement is also an example of translational research, the process of turning discoveries made in laboratories into treatments that can directly benefit patients.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026
That’s not unusual — industries typically ask for a seat at the table, the better to steer discussions to their benefit and dilute any resulting rules.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
The north Londoners did benefit in the 2013-14 season, as they only qualified for Europe because City beat Sunderland in the final of the EFL Cup.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
In each location the reunion drew large crowds, in which witnesses claimed they saw two ghosts from a bygone era materializing one final time for the benefit of the present generation.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
“The longer-term U.S.-Taiwan collaboration may have significant benefits to American defenses,” said Rupert Hammond-Chambers, president of the U.S.-Taiwan Business Council.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
County that provide similar services and found the median annual compensation for CEOs was $159,737, including base salary, bonuses and other benefits.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
It also reports that disability benefits for 120,000 teens "cost taxpayers £1bn a year".
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
Those benefits should be weighed alongside the value of the unpaid care she is providing and the career opportunities she says she has sacrificed.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026
Working in the principal’s office has got its benefits.
From "The Skin I'm In" by Sharon G. Flake
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
She told BBC Radio 4's Radical podcast that while she could not veto decisions, she could scrutinise and advise ministers to make sure decisions also benefited people who were not yet born.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 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
Stabilizing Treasurys also benefited from their safe-haven status amid stress in European bonds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Nobody in Springfield ever benefited from the Merry Widow Insurance Company. bused/buses.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
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
However, a smaller company benefiting from the exchange is a positive development, given the LSE expected early participants to be larger, Simmons said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Refineries unaffected by the conflict are thus benefiting from the tightening global supply of such products.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 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
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
Archer benefitted from two miscues from mid-on, then came back to eventually end the Ali-Abbas last-wicket stand.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
Bitcoin has, along with gold and silver, also benefitted from the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
In the new era of revenue sharing, particularly because of NIL rights, student athletes have benefitted.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 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
A spokesperson for the Treasury said pubs "were already benefitting from a 20% cut in business rates", with Prime Minister Andy Burnham previously calling it "the first step" to help the industry.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
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
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
He ever kept himself abreast of the science of the day, and devoted his abilities and energies, con amore, to the benefitting of men’s souls as well as their bodies.
From The Doctor in History, Literature, Folk-Lore, Etc. by Various
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.
