From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Benefit \Ben"e*fit\, noun [OE. benefet, benfeet, bienfet, F. bienfait, fr. L. benefactum; bene well (adv. of bonus good) + factum, p. p. of facere to do. See {Bounty}, and {Fact}.]
1. An act of kindness; a favor conferred.
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. --Ps. ciii. 2.
2. Whatever promotes prosperity and personal happiness, or adds value to property; advantage; profit.
Men have no right to what is not for their benefit. --Burke.
3. 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. Beneficence; liberality. [Obs.] --Webster (1623).
5. pl. Natural advantages; endowments; accomplishments. [R.] ''The benefits of your own country.'' --Shak.
{Benefit of clergy}. (Law) See under {Clergy}.
Syn: Profit; service; use; avail. See {Advantage}.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Benefit \Ben"e*fit\, verb (used with an object) [imp. & p. p. {Benefited}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Benefitting}.] To be beneficial to; to do good to; to advantage; to advance in health or prosperity; to be useful to; to profit.
I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them. --Jer. xviii. 10.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Benefit \Ben"e*fit\, verb (used without an object) To gain advantage; to make improvement; to profit; as, he will benefit by the change.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
noun
1: financial assistance in time of need
2: something that aids or promotes well-being; "for the common good" [syn: {welfare}]
3: a performance to raise money for a charitable cause
verb
1: derive a benefit from; "She profited from his vast experience" [syn: {profit}, {gain}]
2: be beneficial for; "This will do you good" [syn: {do good}] [also: {benefitting}, {benefitted}]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
166 Moby Thesaurus words for "benefit": abet, absolute interest, account, act of grace, act of kindness, advance, advantage, aid, allowances, ameliorate, answer, assist, assistance, avail, bail out, be handy, be of use, be right, bear a hand, befit, befitting, befriend, behalf, behoof, benediction, benefaction, benefits, benevolence, benignity, benison, bestead, better, bill, blessing, boon, break no bones, build, claim, comfort, common, confer a benefit, contingent interest, contribute to, convenience, courtesy, debut, do, do a favor, do a kindness, do good, do no harm, do the trick, doctor, ease, easement, entertainment, equitable interest, equity, estate, exhibit, exhibition, farewell performance, favor, fill the bill, fit, flesh show, forward, further, gain, give a boost, give a hand, give a lift, give good returns, give help, godsend, good, good deed, good offices, good turn, grace, help, holding, improve, interest, kind deed, kind offices, kindly act, kindness, labor of love, lend a hand, lend one aid, limitation, manna, mercy, ministration, ministry, mitzvah, not come amiss, obligation, office, offices, part, pay, pay off, percentage, performance, perks, perquisites, point, premiere, presentation, presentment, production, proffer aid, profit, promote, prosperity, protect, protection, rally, reclaim, redeem, relief, relieve, remedy, render a service, render assistance, rescue, restore, resuscitate, revive, right, right of entry, sake, save, serve, serve the purpose, service, set up, settlement, show, stage presentation, stake, strict settlement, succor, suffice, suit the occasion, support, swan song, take in tow, theatrical performance, therapy, title, trust, tryout, turn, use, value, vested interest, welfare, well-being, work, work for, world of good, worth, yield a profit
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