as in contribution
a gift of money or its equivalent to a charity, humanitarian cause, or public institution
the generous benefaction from an anonymous donor meant the animal shelter could stay open
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Recent Examples of benefaction
The benefaction of these private nonprofits eventually came to exceed, by a substantial margin, the money dispensed by the government, which has declined over time.
—
Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 12 Feb. 2026
The evening ended with the iconic funk band The Bar-Kays bringing everyone to the dance floor for a boogie to celebrate a night of benefaction.
—Shelby Stewart, Essence, 5 Mar. 2024
Clear thinking, unvarnished assessments, and reference to those timeless lessons: These are the benefactions that National Review Institute brings to the public square.
—Peter J. Travers, National Review, 30 Dec. 2023
All the same, today Alaska’s on-a-bun benefaction is a dog made with lean, delicately gamy reindeer.
—J. J. Goode, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2023
But the full scale of Crow’s benefactions has never been revealed.
—Propublica, Dallas News, 6 Apr. 2023
But the full scale of Crow’s benefactions has never been revealed.
—Joshua Kaplan, Fortune, 6 Apr. 2023
Its grand eighteenth-century buildings were dominated by the huge Codrington Library, named after the West Indian slave owner whose benefaction enriched his old college.
—Fara Dabhoiwala, The New York Review of Books, 1 July 2021
Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 12 Feb. 2026
The evening ended with the iconic funk band The Bar-Kays bringing everyone to the dance floor for a boogie to celebrate a night of benefaction.
—Shelby Stewart, Essence, 5 Mar. 2024
Clear thinking, unvarnished assessments, and reference to those timeless lessons: These are the benefactions that National Review Institute brings to the public square.
—Peter J. Travers, National Review, 30 Dec. 2023
All the same, today Alaska’s on-a-bun benefaction is a dog made with lean, delicately gamy reindeer.
—J. J. Goode, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2023
But the full scale of Crow’s benefactions has never been revealed.
—Propublica, Dallas News, 6 Apr. 2023
But the full scale of Crow’s benefactions has never been revealed.
—Joshua Kaplan, Fortune, 6 Apr. 2023
Its grand eighteenth-century buildings were dominated by the huge Codrington Library, named after the West Indian slave owner whose benefaction enriched his old college.
—Fara Dabhoiwala, The New York Review of Books, 1 July 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for benefaction
Noun
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In other words, the contributor can use five-years’ worth of annual gift tax exclusions ($95,000 in 2026) to front-load contributions to the plans and start compounding tax-free returns with the money.—
Bob Carlson,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2026
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The $350-million sale had been agreed in December 2019 but not yet finalized, and was at the center of an FBI investigation that led to accusations that Sidhu had provided insider information to the team and in return demanded kickbacks in the form of campaign contributions.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
25 May 2026
Noun
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The Bee reviewed Vang’s local filings dating back to her initial election in 2020, which showed that her campaign donated $9,000 between 2023 and 2025 to Sacramento nonprofit Gifts To Share, which allows people to earmark donations to the Heart and Hustle Scholarship via its website.—
Jennah Pendleton,
Sacbee.com,
29 May 2026
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Their donations to elect like-minded officials has led to a rapid growth of states with new or expanded voucher plans, including Texas and New Hampshire.—
Howard Blume,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Benefaction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/benefaction. Accessed 30 May. 2026.
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