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:
It would benefit traditional newspapers as well as other sources of local news, including the growing number of independent nonprofit newsrooms popping up in communities around the state.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
This sets up Shopify to benefit from “the infrastructure layer underpinning AI-driven commerce rather than being at risk of displacement.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Martin said he was also looking forward to discussing "even stronger and closer relationships between the European Union and the United Kingdom, which will be of benefit to the European Union and to Ireland".
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
Later research also complicates the idea that increasing D-serine should always benefit an aging brain.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026
She went into a series of zooming circles and performed a few acrobatic turns for her companion’s benefit.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
“Any technology has risks. Any new technology brings both risks and benefits . . . I don’t think Americans should be scared of anything.”
From Salon ● Sep. 20, 2026
Scott Calvert and Dan Frosch trace how Romanian gangs built a global racket around a weakness in America’s benefits system and the efforts to stop them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
“If the Olympics are coming to town, we want to make sure there are lasting benefits for our communities.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026
"Nobody's tough enough to deal with the immigration problem. Nobody's tough enough to deal with the benefits problem. But somebody needs to do it," he said.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
A soft breeze drifted through the room, cross-ventilation being one of the benefits of a corner office.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
The suppliers argued that competitors overseas benefited from lower energy costs, greater automation and, in some cases, government subsidies.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
Browne has benefited from the addition of two premier slot receivers in Florida Atlantic transfer Asaad Waseem and Iowa State transfer Xavier Townsend.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
Sentiment benefited from continued resilience of the Eurozone’s largest economy, despite the impact of the Middle East conflict on energy prices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
It would have also benefited from parts of the EU budget, but without full voting rights.
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
To be sure, Bessie had benefited from her advice many times.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
That guaranteed the teams with revenue, with brokers benefiting from a markup for popular games but taking the risk that tickets to less popular games would sell at a loss, or not at all.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
Shippers who work with the traders to move cargo are also benefiting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
My partner started doing it and I saw how much he was benefiting from it, so I decided to go and take the course and just loved it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
The fund follows William's decision to stop personally benefiting from the £1.5m annual rent generated by Dartmoor Prison, with the funding redirected into the local community.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
Since when did Ritu auntie think in terms of benefiting a woman’s career?
From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon
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
She noted that Europe had long benefitted from "three pillars" -- a rules-based global order underpinned by US security guarantees, cheap energy and expanding global trade.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 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
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
Meanwhile, groups such as his are benefitting from the government brain drain.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
Meanwhile Chinese brands have been moving aggressively onto international markets, introducing new technologies while benefitting from lower production costs than European rivals.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
The public is benefitting from an explosion of competition and new services.
From State of the Union Address by Jimmy Carter
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.
