benefit
/ˈbɛnɪfɪt
/noun
1An advantage or profit gained from something: enjoy the benefits of being a member [mass noun]: the changes are of benefit to commerce...
- Every other facility can only be enjoyed with the benefit of good health.
- Bishop Foley took an early lead with the benefit of a strong breeze but Gaelscoil battled hard throughout and never gave up.
- Emily Barr wrote a dark, funny novel called Backpack that, with the benefit of Chick Lit packaging, gained huge sales.
Synonyms
good, sake, interest, welfare, well-being, satisfaction, enjoyment, advantage, comfort, ease, convenience;
help, aid, assistance, avail, use, utility, service
advantage, reward, merit, good point, strong point, strength, asset, plus, plus point, bonus, boon, blessing, virtue;
perk, fringe benefit, additional benefit, added extra;
usefulness, helpfulness, convenience, advantageousness, value, profit
formal perquisite
2A payment made by the state or an insurance scheme to someone entitled to receive it: part-time jobs supplemented by means-tested benefits [mass noun]: families on benefit...
- This situation in particular refers to people who receive social welfare benefits and old age pension recipients.
- Full funding for our courses can be provided for people receiving various social welfare payments or benefits.
- For longer sick leaves, they received benefits from the Social Insurance Institution.
Synonyms
social security payments, social security, state benefit, unemployment benefit, government benefit, benefit payments, public assistance allowance, welfare, insurance money, sick pay, pension;
charity, donations, gifts, financial assistance
informal the dole
Scottish informal the buroo, the broo
3An event such as a concert or game, intended to raise money for a particular player or charity: the social season was highlighted by debutante balls and charity benefits [as modifier]: a benefit gig...
- His daughter presents a one-off tribute to her dad in a benefit gig for multiple-sclerosis charities.
- An independent record store must sell to the Music Town chain unless its wacky employees can raise enough money through a benefit gig.
- They could very easily put together a benefit gig and raise the money Moo lost.
verb (benefits, benefiting or benefitting, benefited or benefitted) [no object]
1Receive an advantage; profit: areas that would benefit from regeneration...
- Preventing people who may benefit from receiving a drug treatment that works will see us lose a decade of progress and return to a dark age of dementia care.
- The service can only exist on the subscriptions received from households who benefit from the service.
- It seems that some patients needing blood transfusions may benefit from receiving chicken blood rather than human blood.
Synonyms
profit, gain, reap benefits, reap financial reward, make money;
make the most of, exploit, turn to one's advantage, put to good use, do well out of
informal cash in, make a killing
1.1 [with object] Bring advantage to: the bill will benefit Britain...
- Engineering projects benefit the area and bring more people.
- She says competitions and opportunities to exhibit and display artistic work benefit the artist and bring enjoyment to people.
- She says it is going to take executives of color to bring about changes to benefit the parity of newsroom diversity.
Synonyms
be advantageous to, be beneficial to, be of advantage to, be to the advantage of, profit, do good to, be of service to, serve, be useful to, be of use to, be helpful to, be of help to, help, aid, assist, be of assistance to;
better, improve, strengthen, boost, advance, further
Phrases
benefit of clergy
the benefit of the doubt
for the benefit of
Origin
Late Middle English (originally denoting a kind deed or something well done): from Old French bienfet, from Latin benefactum 'good deed', from bene facere 'do good (to)'.
The source of benefit is Latin benefactum, ‘a good deed’, and that was the original meaning in English, in the late Middle Ages. The ordinary modern sense is recorded from the early 16th century. To give someone the benefit of the doubt originally meant to give a verdict of not guilty when the evidence was not conclusive.