phrasal verb · neutral
give someone the benefit of the doubt
UK/ɡɪv ˈsʌmwʌn ðə ˈbɛnɪfɪt əv ðə daʊt/US/ɡɪv ˈsʌmwʌn ðə ˈbɛnəfɪt əv ðə daʊt/give·SOME·one·the·BEN·e·fit·of·the·DOUBT
to decide to believe someone or accept their explanation even though you are not certain
Examples
“Even though the story sounded unlikely, I gave him the benefit of the doubt.”
“Let's give her the benefit of the doubt and assume she was delayed by traffic.”
“In court, jurors are supposed to give defendants the benefit of the doubt.”
Band 8 sentence
“When evaluating witness statements, it's often wise to give the benefit of the doubt unless there's clear evidence to the contrary.”
Collocations
- give someone the benefit of the doubt
- offer the benefit of the doubt
Word family
Common mistakes
give somebody the benefit from doubt→give someone the benefit of the doubt
give the benefit of doubt to→give someone the benefit of the doubt
Say it for a higher band
5trust→6assume good faith→7+give someone the benefit of the doubt
Synonyms
assume good faith
Easily confused
assume good faith
“Let's assume good faith and start the negotiation.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In give …
Learn it with its set