Benefit: An Advantage, a Payment, and a Concert for a Cause
A benefit is something that helps you. The word also covers state payments, employment perks, and fundraising events, which is a lot of ground for seven letters.
Benefit means an advantage gained. The senses fan out from there: money paid by the state, extras that come with a job, and an event staged to raise funds. What links them is that somebody is better off afterwards.
- An advantage or good effect. *The benefits of regular exercise.*
- A state payment. *She claims housing benefit.*
- A perk of employment. *Salary and benefits.*
- A fundraising event. *A benefit concert for the hospital.*
- To help or be helped (verb). *Everyone benefits from clearer rules.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | benefit | A clear benefit. |
| Verb | benefit | The changes benefit tenants. |
| Past | benefited | He benefited greatly. |
| Adjective | beneficial | A beneficial effect. |
| Person | beneficiary | The main beneficiary of the will. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The scheme benefits smaller firms most.The verb takes a direct object — no preposition.
- Older workers benefit from the exemption.Benefit from when you are the one gaining.
- I gave him the benefit of the doubt.Chose to believe him when the evidence was unclear.
Benefit, advantage, perk and profit
- Benefit — a good result, general and neutral
- Advantage — a benefit relative to someone else
- Perk — an informal extra attached to a job
- Profit — a financial gain only, once costs are subtracted
From Latin *benefactum*, a good deed, through Old French. The spelling of the past tense is worth noting: British and American style both prefer *benefited* with one t, though *benefitted* appears often enough to be listed as a variant.
Benefited or benefitted?
Benefited is the standard form in both British and American style guides. Benefitted is a tolerated variant.
What does the benefit of the doubt mean?
Treating someone as innocent or honest when the evidence does not settle the matter either way.