profit vs. benefit

Question

What is the difference between these two words and their usages? (as both nouns and verbs)Thank you very much for your answer.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

Profit :

1 [C or U] money which is earned in trade or business, especially after paying the costs of producing and selling goods and services:
She makes a big profit from selling waste material to textile companies.
A year ago the Tokyo company had a pretax profit of 35 million yen.
Company profits are down on last year's figures.
You don't expect to make much profit within the first couple of years of setting up a company.
He sold his house at a huge profit.

Benefit :

1 a helpful or good effect, or something intended to help:
The discovery of oil brought many benefits to the town.
One of the many benefits of foreign travel is learning how to cope with the unexpected.
He's had the benefit of an expensive education and yet he continues to work as a waiter.
I didn't get/derive (much) benefit from school.
With the benefit of hindsight (= Helped by the knowledge since learned) it is easy for us to see where we went wrong.
SLIGHTLY FORMAL She drinks a lot less now, to the benefit of (= resulting in an improvement in) her health as a whole.

BarbaraPA · Answer

Hello Anduy,

They are very different words. Did you look in your dictionary?

Maybe you could write a sentence or two in which you're not sure which one to use.

Anduy · Answer

Thank you Grammar Geek.
This is the definitions of profit in the American Heritage Dictionary:
n.

An advantageous gain or return; benefit.
The return received on a business undertaking after all operating expenses have been met.
1. The return received on an investment after all charges have been paid. Often used in the plural.
2. The rate of increase in the net worth of a business enterprise in a given accounting period.
3. Income received from investments or property.
4. The amount received for a commodity or service in excess of the original cost.

So I was confused when I encouter this question:

The AAL are now campaigning for a ban on the sale of all kangaroo products. They hope that this will stop unscrupulous farmers killing the animals for ________. (benefit/profit)

Please help.
Thanks very much.

BarbaraPA · Answer

This is the definitions of profit in the American Heritage Dictionary:
n.

An advantageous gain or return; benefit.

The AAL are now campaigning for a ban on the sale of all kangaroo products. They hope that this will stop unscrupulous farmers killing the animals for ________. (benefit/profit)

Hi again,

I quite see your conflict. In this one, use "profit."

If you wanted to use benefit, you'd have to say something like "for the financial benefits they bring" or something like that. "Benefit" is too broad a word to use here.

CalifJim · Answer

The expressions for profit and not for profit exist, but not the expressions for benefit and not for benefit. However, you can have for the benefit of ... followed by whoever receives the benefit.

CJ

Chefro · Answer

Anduy,

while you benefit from C-Jim's answers, he's not making any profit (as in: financial gain) for offering them.

Does that help you any further?

profit vs. benefit

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