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benefactor
benefactress
benefice
beneficent
beneficial
beneficial owner
beneficiary
beneficiary bank
benefit
benefit-cost analysis
benefit dollar
benefit in kind
benefit of clergy
benefit principle
benefits coordinator
Benelux
benevolent
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benefit

ben·e·fit [ bénnəfit ]


noun  (plural ben·e·fits)
Definition:
 
1. advantage: something that has a good effect or promotes well-being
They eventually reaped the benefits of all their hard work.

2. government assistance: a regular payment made by a government agency such as Social Security to somebody qualified to receive it or in need of financial assistance ( often used in the plural )

3. business extra employee compensation: compensation over and above salary given to some employees or partially paid for by the employing company, e.g., health insurance, retirement pay, or stock options

4. performance for charity: a performance by entertainers, athletes, or others to raise money for somebody or something, especially a charity



plural noun ben·e·fits 
Definition:
 
money or compensation from employer: extra money or other nonmonetary compensation that an employer gives an employee in addition to salary, e.g. health insurance or vacation days



transitive and intransitive verb  (past and past participle ben·e·fit·ed or ben·e·fit·ted, present participle ben·e·fit·ing or ben·e·fit·ting, 3rd person present singular ben·e·fits)
Definition:
 
give or receive benefit: to give somebody or receive help, an advantage, or another benefit
The research would benefit from an injection of new ideas.

[14th century. Via Anglo-Norman benfet, Old French bienfait< Latin benefactum "good deed" < bene "well" + facere "do"]

give somebody the benefit of the doubt to assume that somebody is telling the truth about something or is innocent of something because there is not enough evidence that the person is lying or guilty

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