benefit
112
changes in the tax laws. | His eldest son was named in his will
as the chief beneficiary. (=who would receive his property
when he died)
ben·e·fit¹ /'benɪfɪt/ n 1 [U] anything that brings help,
advantage, or profit: She has had the benefit of a first-class
education. | For the benefit of those people who arrived late,
I'll just go over the plan again. | My holiday wasn't of much
benefit to me. | Let's give this new plan the benefit of the
doubt. (=the right to favourable consideration until we
know whether it is good or bad) 2 [C;U] in Britain, the
general money provided by the government to people who
need it, especially to those who are sick or unemployed: Are
you entitled to unemployment benefit? | child/housing ben-
efit 3 [C] an event, especially a theatrical performance, to
raise money for some person or special purpose: a benefit for
old actors | a benefit concert to raise money for the famine
victims | a benefit match/year for a veteran player 4 [U] AmE
for RELIEF → see also CHILD BENEFIT, FRINGE BENEFIT
benefit² v 1 [T] (especially of an action or event) to be
useful, profitable, or helpful to: It's an expensive investment
but it will benefit the company in the long run. 2 [(from)] to
gain advantage; receive benefit (as a result of something): I
can see the advantage of this for you, but how will I benefit? |
Who is most likely to benefit from/by the old lady's death? |
These small businesses have benefited greatly from the fall in
interest rates.
benefit of 'clergy n [U] old use the special rights of priests
in the law
'Benefits Agency, the a former British government
organization which gave money to people who were unem-
ployed, old, or ill → JOBCENTRE PLUS, PENSION SERVICE, THE
Be·ne·lux /'benɪlʌks/, the Benelux countries Bel-
gium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg considered
together as one group
Ben·et·ton /'benɪtən/ trademark an Italian company with
shops all over the world which sell SWEATERS and other
clothes for women, men, and children. Benetton is known for
its clever and unusual advertisements, which some people
disapprove of.
be·nev·o·lent /bə'nevələnt/ adj having or showing a wish
to do good and help others → compare MALEVOLENT
—ience n [U] —ly adv
BEng /ˌbiː 'e/ n abbrev. for a first university DEGREE in
ENGINEERING
Ben·gal /ben'gɔːl/ an area of southern Asia that includes
Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal
Ben·ga·li /ben'gɔːli/ n 1 [U] the language spoken in Bangla-
desh and West Bengal 2 [C] someone who comes from
Bengal —Bengali adj
Ben-Gu·ri·on, David /ben 'gʊəriən/ (1886–1973) an Israeli
politician who was one of the main people responsible for
establishing the independent Jewish nation of Israel. He was
also Israel's first Prime Minister.
Ben Hur /ben 'hɜːr/ a novel by Lewis Wallace, whose story
takes place during the time of Jesus Christ. The story was
made into a famous film in 1959, in which Charlton HESTON
played the main character.
Ben·i·dorm /'benɪdɔːm||-ɔːrm/ a town on the Mediterra-
nean coast of Spain which is a popular place for tourists.
People in the UK think of it as a typical place for an inexpen-
sive PACKAGE HOLIDAY. It provides things that some British
people like, such as FISH AND CHIPS and English-style PUBS.
be·night·ed /bɪ'naɪtɪd/ adj lit completely without knowledge
or understanding, especially of moral principles: benighted
minds —ly adv
be·nign /bɪ'nan/ adj 1 rather fml kind and gentle: a benign
nature/smile 2 med (of a disease) not dangerous to life; not
MALIGNANT: a benign tumour —ly adv: to smile benignly
—ity /bɪ'nɪgnɪti/ n [U] fml
Be·nin, the People's Republic of /be'nɪn||bə'nɪn/ a
country in West Africa, between Togo and Nigeria, which was
a French COLONY, formerly called Dahomey. It became inde-
pendent in 1960 and changed its name to Benin in 1975.
Population: 7,041,490 (2003). Capital: Porto Novo.
ben·i·son /'benɪzən/ n [C;U] lit, old use God's BLESSING (=pro-
tection and help)
Benn, Tony /ben/ (1925–) a British politician in the Labour
Party, known for his strong LEFT-WING opinions. he INHER-
ITED the title of Viscount Stansgate, but he gave up his title
so that he could become a member of the House of Com-
mons. He was a minister in the Labour governments of the
1960s and 1970s, and his political diaries (DIARY) provide a
detailed description of political life in the UK. he RETIRED
from Parliament in 2001.
Ben·nett, Al·an /'benɪt, 'ælən/ (1934–) a writer and actor
from the north of England who has written many films and
plays for the theatre and for television, including The Mad-
ness of George III and Talking Heads. His characters are espe-
cially funny because he is very good at noticing the strange
way that people behave and the funny things they say.
Bennett, Arnold (1867–1931) a British writer known for his
novels about the 'Five Towns', which describe the lives of
ordinary people in the area of the Midlands in the UK
where POTTERY was made
Bennett, Tony (1925–) an American singer who made several
BEST-SELLING records in the 1950s and 1960s, including I
Left My Heart in San Francisco
Ben Ne·vis /ben 'nevɪs/ a mountain in Scotland which is
1343 metres high and is the highest mountain in the UK →
compare SCAFELL PIKE
Ben·ny, Jack /'beni/ (1894–1974) a US COMEDIAN who had
very popular radio programme and later a popular television
programme, called The Jack Benny Show. He is famous for
pretending to always be 39, for playing the VIOLIN badly, and for
making jokes about how much he dislikes spending money.
Ben·son and Hedg·es /bensən ən 'hedʒɪz/ trademark a
type of cigarette made by a British company and sold in a
gold-coloured packet
bent¹ /bent/ past tense and participle of BEND: a piece of bent wire
bent² adj 1 BrE slang dishonest, especially by allowing oneself
to be influenced by money or gifts (BRIBES): a bent copper
(=policeman) → opposite STRAIGHT 2 [F+on/upon] with one's
mind set; completely determined: She's bent on a career on
the stage/bent on becoming an actress. 3 old-fash derog HOM-
SEXUAL
bent³ n [(for)] a natural tendency or special natural skill (in):
He has a bent for art/an artistic bent.
Ben·tham, Jer·e·my /'benθəm, 'dʒerəmi/ (1748–1832)
British PHILOSOPHER who believed that the actions of people
and governments should be based on what would bring
happiness to the largest number of people
Bent·ley /'bentli/ trademark a type of large, comfortable, and
very expensive British car, similar to a ROLLS-ROYCE and
owned by wealthy people
be·numbed /bɪ'nmd/ adj having all sense of feeling taken
away, especially by cold
Benz /benz/ n AmE an informal name for a Mercedes-Benz car
→ compare MERC
Benz, Karl /kɑːl||kɑːrl/ (1844–1929) a German engineer who
built the first petrol-driven car in 1885. His factory later
joined with one started by Gottlieb Daimler, and became
the Mercedes-Benz car company.
ben·zene /'benziːn, ben'ziːn/ also ben·zol /'benzɒl||-zɒl/
[U] a colourless liquid (C₆H₆) which is obtained chiefly from
coal. Benzene burns quickly and is used to make certain
types of engine run, and in making various chemical
products.
ben·zine /'benziːn, ben'ziːn/ n [U] a mixture of liquids
obtained from PETROLEUM that burns quickly and is used to
make certain types of engine run, and for cleaning
Be·o·wulf /'beɪəwʊlf/ an EPIC (=long poem about gods and
great men and women) written in the 8th century in Old
English, about a man called Beowulf who kills powerful
frightening creatures and becomes a king
be·queath /bɪ'kwiːð, br'kwiːθ/ v [T(to)] fml to give to others
after death: Her collection of paintings was bequeathed to the
National Gallery when she died. | [+obj(i)+obj(d)] His father
bequeathed him a fortune.
be·quest /bɪ'kwest/ n fml money or property that
bequeathed: a bequest of £5000 to his daughter
be·rate /bɪ'reɪt/ v [T(for)] fml to speak to angrily because of a
fault; REBUKE