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benefit

Pronunciation: /ˈbɛnɪfɪt/

Translate benefit | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of benefit

noun

  • 1an advantage or profit gained from something:enjoy the benefits of being a member [mass noun]:the changes are of benefit to commerce
  • 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
  • 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

verb (benefits, benefiting or benefitting, benefited or benefitted)

[no object]
  • receive an advantage; profit:areas that would benefit from regeneration
  • [with object] bring advantage to:the bill will benefit Britain

Phrases

benefit of clergy

  • 1 historical exemption of the English clergy and nuns from the jurisdiction of the ordinary civil courts, granted in the Middle Ages but abolished in 1827.
  • 2ecclesiastical sanction:they lived together without benefit of clergy

the benefit of the doubt

a concession that a person or fact must be regarded as correct or justified, if the contrary has not been proven:I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt as to whether it was deliberate or not

for the benefit of

in order to help or be useful to:a venue run for the benefit of the community
in order to interest or impress (someone):it was all an act put on for his benefit

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)'

Spelling rule

Do not double the final consonant when adding endings which begin with a vowel to a word which ends in a vowel plus a consonant, if the stress is not at the end of the word (as in target): (benefits, benefiting, benefited).

benefit in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of benefit in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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