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definitions

benefit

[ ben-uh-fit ]
/ ˈbɛn ə fɪt /
|||

noun

something that is advantageous or good; an advantage: He explained the benefits of public ownership of the postal system.
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.
a theatrical performance or other public entertainment to raise money for a charitable organization or cause.
Archaic. an act of kindness; good deed; benefaction.

verb (used with object), ben·e·fit·ed or ben·e·fit·ted, ben·e·fit·ing or ben·e·fit·ting.

to do good to; be of service to: a health program to benefit everyone.

verb (used without object), ben·e·fit·ed or ben·e·fit·ted, ben·e·fit·ing or ben·e·fit·ting.

to derive benefit or advantage; profit; make improvement: He has never benefited from all that experience.

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Nearby words

beneficent, beneficial, beneficially, beneficiary, beneficiate, self-benefit, benefit in kind, benefit of clergy, benefit of the doubt, benefit society, benefits

Idioms

    for (someone's) benefit, so as to produce a desired effect in another's mind: He wasn't really angry; that was just an act for his girlfriend's benefit.

Origin of benefit

1350–1400; late Middle English benefytt, benefett (noun), alteration (with Latinized first syllable) of Middle English b(i)enfet, benefait < Anglo-French benfet, Middle French bienfait < Latin benefactum good deed; see bene-, fact
SYNONYMS FOR benefit
1 favor, service.
Related forms

Synonym study

1. See advantage.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for self-benefit

  • And he had no other thought, no idea of self-benefit, when he started off to walk to Upper Brook Street.

    Johnny Ludlow, Fourth Series|Mrs. Henry Wood

British Dictionary definitions for self-benefit

benefit

/ (ˈbɛnɪfɪt) /

noun

something that improves or promotes
advantage or sakethis is for your benefit
British
  1. 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
  2. any similar allowance in various other countries
(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
a theatrical performance, sports event, etc, to raise money for a charity

verb -fits, -fiting or -fited or esp US -fits, -fitting or -fitted

to do or receive good; profit

Word Origin for benefit

C14: from Anglo-French benfet, from Latin benefactum, from bene facere to do well
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with self-benefit

benefit

see give the benefit.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.