benefit

ben|e|fit¹ W1S3 [ˈbenıfıt] n

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1¦(advantage)¦

2¦(money from government)¦

3¦(extra things)¦

4 give somebody the benefit of the doubt

5 with the benefit of hindsight/experience

6 benefit concert/performance/match

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[Date: 1300-1400; : Anglo-French; Origin: ben fet, from Latin bene factum, from bene factus; BENEFACTION]

1.) ¦(ADVANTAGE)¦ [U and C]

an advantage, improvement, or help that you get from something

benefit of

▪ the benefits of contact lenses

▪ The new credit cards will be of great benefit to our customers.

▪ I never had the benefit of a university education.

▪ We want him to get maximum benefit from the course.

▪ We're just beginning to reap the benefits of all our hard work.

▪ You need to spend at least a week there to get the full benefit .

▪ Could you just explain again for Mark's benefit ?

▪ I hope that the decision taken today will be to the benefit of the whole nation.

▪ My proposition, I assure you, would be to our mutual benefit.

▪ Most motorists manage without the benefit of four-wheel drive.

▪ the airport's economic benefit to the region

▪ the health benefits of moderate wine consumption

▪ How does one decide whether the economic costs of regulation will outweigh the economic benefits ?

2.) ¦(MONEY FROM GOVERNMENT)¦ [U and C]

BrE money provided by the government to people who are sick, unemployed, or have little money

American Equivalent: welfareunemployment/housing/child etc benefit

▪ You might be entitled to housing benefit.

on benefit

▪ families on benefit

▪ those people eligible to claim benefit

3.) ¦(EXTRA THINGS)¦ [C usually plural]

extra money or other advantages that you get as part of your job or from insurance that you have

▪ We offer an excellent salary and benefits package .

▪ medical benefits

→↑fringe benefit

4.) give sb the benefit of the doubt

to accept what someone tells you even though you think they may be wrong or lying, but you cannot be sure

▪ The referee gave him the benefit of the doubt.

5.) with the benefit of hindsight/experience

used to say it is easier to know the right thing to do after something has happened or if you have a lot of experience

▪ He admitted that with the benefit of hindsight the original launch had not been large enough.

6.) benefit concert/performance/match

a concert, performance etc arranged to make money for ↑charity

▪ a benefit concert for famine relief

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COLLOCATES for sense 1

be of benefit (to somebody) (=be useful to someone)

have the benefit of something

get/gain/derive benefit (from something)

reap the benefits (of something) (=enjoy the advantages of something)

the full benefit (of something)

for somebody's benefit

be to the benefit of somebody

mutual benefit (=useful to two or more people)

with/without the benefit (of something) (=using/not using something)

economic/financial/social benefits

health benefits

something outweighs the benefits of something (=something is more important than the benefits)

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benefit ²

benefit² W3S2 v past tense and past participle benefited present participle benefiting [I and T]

if you benefit from something or it benefits you, it gives you an advantage, improves your life, or helps you in some way

▪ They are working together to benefit the whole community.

benefit from/by

▪ Many thousands have benefited from the new treatment.

▪ They would benefit by reducing their labour costs.

benefit greatly/enormously/considerably etc

▪ I'm sure you'll benefit greatly from the visit.