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:
If international visitation remains depressed, domestic tourists could benefit if that leads to deals for destinations like Las Vegas or Orlando.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
Read more: Who will benefit more from AI agents when it comes to spending – companies or you?
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026
Rather than assuming that a medication will benefit everyone equally, researchers hope to identify the people most likely to respond.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 6, 2026
Their extensive store networks would become hubs of healthcare delivery systems that, to varying degrees, brought together insurers, pharmacy benefit management and local and regional physician groups.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
Benji may benefit from daily self-reflection using his own words, the teacher had noted.
From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty
Another avenue, she said, is to scale up existing data centers, where surrounding communities that have seen benefits in the form of job creation and tax revenue don’t require as much persuasion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
The benefits of the policy extended for generations, they say, helping the children and grandchildren of those who bought homes.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
“We have always been a pro-business state in Texas, but what changes now with me as governor is it has to be a partnership that benefits Texas,” she said.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026
Longer and larger studies are needed to determine whether the findings translate into lasting health benefits or changes in cardiovascular disease risk.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 6, 2026
This is a different trick that has three benefits.
From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri
This segment has benefited from high volumes of large-scale orders so far this year, Destatis said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
The UK royal family benefited from the trade but Charles is politically neutral and is not expected to offer an apology.
From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 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
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
The same dynamic benefited the members of that generation when they went off to college.
From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell
Its versatility could also allow it to be incorporated into several types of dental products, potentially benefiting patients of different ages with enamel erosion, tooth sensitivity, or other problems involving exposed dentin.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 5, 2026
The company—which also lifted expectations in July—said it was benefiting from stronger personalizations than initially expected and a ramp up of newer model deliveries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026
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
Since when did Ritu auntie think in terms of benefiting a woman’s career?
From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon
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
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
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
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
A health board is continuing to pay money to a university research centre several months after a critical report which said the payments were not directly benefitting patients.
From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026
Oil-services company Halliburton reported quarterly earnings and revenue growth, benefitting from elevated oil prices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
Accelerating demand for traditional and AI servers, as well as storage and networking equipment, is benefitting both Dell and HPE, Mulberry said in emailed comments.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 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
Every thing benefitting the plurality, benefits still more the rich, by many indirect ways.
From Why a National Literature Cannot Flourish in the United States of North America by Joseph Rocchietti
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