Definitions for benefit
ˈbɛn ə fɪtben·e·fit

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:2.5 / 22 votes

1. benefitnoun

   financial assistance in time of need

2. benefit, welfarenoun

   something that aids or promotes well-being

   "for the benefit of all"

3. benefitverb

   a performance to raise money for a charitable cause

4. profit, gain, benefitverb

   derive a benefit from

   "She profited from his vast experience"

5. benefit, do goodverb

   be beneficial for

   "This will do you good"

WiktionaryRate this definition:3.4 / 7 votes

1. benefitnoun

   An advantage, help or aid from something.

2. benefitnoun

   A payment made in accordance with an insurance policy or a public assistance scheme.

3. benefitnoun

   A performance, etc, given to raise funds for some cause.

4. benefitverb

   To be or to provide a benefit to.

5. benefitverb

   To receive a benefit (from). To be a beneficiary.

6. Etymology: From Late benefytt, benefett, alteration (due to bene-) of benfet, bienfet, bienfait, from benfet, bienfait, from bienfet, bienfait, from past participle of bienfaire, from bien + faire, modelled after benefactum. More at benefactor.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. BENEFITnoun

   Etymology: beneficium, Lat.

   1. A kindness; a favour conferred; an act of love.

   When noble benefits shall prove
   Not well dispos’d, the mind grown once corrupt,
   They turn to vicious forms. William Shakespeare, Henry VIII.

   Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. Psalm ciii. 2.

   As many as offer’d life,
   Neglect not, and the benefit embrace
   By faith, not void of works. Paradise Lost, b. xii. l. 426.

   2. Advantage; profit; use.

   The creature abateth his strength for the benefit of such as put their trust in thee. Wisdom, xvi. 24.

   3. In law. Benefit of clergyis an ancient liberty of the church, when a priest, or one within orders, is arraigned of felony before a secular judge, he may pray his clergy; that is, pray to be delivered to his ordinary, to purge himself of the offence objected to him: and this might be done in case of murder. The ancient law, in this point of clergy, is much altered; for clerks are no more delivered to their ordinaries to be purged, but now every man, though not within orders, is put to read at the bar, being found guilty, and convicted of such felony as this benefit is granted for; and so burnt in the hand, and set free for the first time, if the ordinary’s commissioner, or deputy, standing by, do say, Legit ut clericus; or, otherwise, suffereth death for his transgression. John Cowell

2. To Benefitverb

   To do good to; to advantage.

   Etymology: from the noun.

   What course I mean to hold,
   Shall nothing benefit your knowledge. William Shakespeare, Wint. Tale.

   He was so far from benefiting trade, that he did it a great injury, and brought Rome in danger of a famine. Arbuthnot.

3. To Benefitverb

   To gain advantage.

   To tell you therefore what I have benefited herein, among old renowned authors, I shall spare. John Milton, on Education.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. benefit

   A benefit is a positive outcome, advantage, or gain received or experienced by an individual or group from a particular action, situation, product, or service. It can also refer to a type of financial or non-financial support given to employees by their employers, such as health insurance, retirement plans, or paid vacation.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:3.2 / 5 votes

1. Benefitnoun

   an act of kindness; a favor conferred

2. Benefitnoun

   whatever promotes prosperity and personal happiness, or adds value to property; advantage; profit

3. Benefitnoun

   a theatrical performance, a concert, or the like, the proceeds of which do not go to the lessee of the theater or to the company, but to some individual actor, or to some charitable use

4. Benefitnoun

   beneficence; liberality

5. Benefitnoun

   natural advantages; endowments; accomplishments

6. Benefitverb

   to be beneficial to; to do good to; to advantage; to advance in health or prosperity; to be useful to; to profit

7. Benefitverb

   to gain advantage; to make improvement; to profit; as, he will benefit by the change

WikidataRate this definition:5.0 / 2 votes

1. Benefit

   Benefit is the third album by Jethro Tull, released in April 1970. It was the first Tull album to include pianist and organist John Evan – though he was not yet a permanent member of the group – and the last to include bass guitarist Glenn Cornick. It reached No. 3 in the UK album charts. More hard-rocking and transcended from blues influences than its predecessor, Stand Up, it also incorporated more advanced studio techniques, such as backward-recorded flute and piano, and sped-up guitar.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:3.5 / 2 votes

1. Benefit

   ben′e-fit, n. a kindness: a favour: any advantage, natural or other: a performance at a theatre, the proceeds of which go to one of the company.—v.t. to do good to.—v.i. to gain advantage (with from),—ns. Ben′efit-of-cler′gy, in old English law, the exemption of the persons of ecclesiastics from criminal process before a secular judge, they being responsible only to their ordinary. This privilege, at first limited to those in actual orders, was in 1350 extended to all manner of clerks, and in later practice to all who could read, whether of clergy or laity; Ben′efit-of-in′ventory (Scots law), a legal privilege whereby an heir secured himself against unlimited liability for his ancestor, by giving up within the annus deliberandi an inventory of his heritage or real estate, to the extent of which alone was the heir liable.—Benefit societies, associations for mutual benefit chiefly among the labouring classes, better known as Friendly societies. [M. E. benfet, through Fr. from L. benefactum.]

Matched Categories

1. • Get
   • Help
   • Payment

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'benefit' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #1391

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'benefit' in Written Corpus Frequency: #1066

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'benefit' in Nouns Frequency: #265

4. Verbs Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'benefit' in Verbs Frequency: #436

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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How to pronounce benefit?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say benefit in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of benefit in Chaldean Numerology is: 3

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of benefit in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7

Examples of benefit in a Sentence

1. Grover Norquist:

   We benefit from more secure elections. We benefit from being able to double-check, i expect to be winning elections for the next 20 years and I don't want the Democrats to explain that every single one of those was stolen. So let's make it ironclad.

2. Laurie Ryan:

   It's a small proportion that showed a benefit. That is why they weren't able to achieve significance.

3. Wesley D'Amico:

   When opposing opinion doesn't benefit you, it's easier to ignore it.

4. David McIntosh:

   Bringing back earmarks is the antithesis of draining the swamp, earmarks will only benefit the special interests that grow government at the expense of working men and women.

5. Robert Bolt / Sir Thomas More:

   Robert Bolt, A Man for All Seasons . . . And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned around on you--where would you hide, . . . the laws all being flat? This country's planted thick with laws from coast to coast--man's laws, not God's--and if you cut them down . . . do you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then? Yes, I would give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety's sake.”

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=benefit
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Benefit
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=benefit
4. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
5. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/benefit
6. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=benefit
7. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=benefit
8. ^ Usage in printed sources
   https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=benefit