the benefit of the doubt

noun phrase

: the state of accepting something/someone as honest or deserving of trust even though there are doubts
He might be lying, but we have to give him the benefit of the doubt and accept what he says for now.

Examples of the benefit of the doubt in a Sentence

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That’s also a movie where laughs come in inappropriate places, but Labute got the benefit of the doubt as an unknown with no corporate support. — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 30 Oct. 2026 Lanning's earned quite a bit of the benefit of the doubt with multiple College Football Playoff appearances, and the Ducks won two games in last year's tournament. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2026 Levi’s — under Gass as well as her predecessor Chip Bergh — has built up a certain credibility and is getting the benefit of the doubt. — Evan Clark, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2026 All of this is part of Flanagan’s general preference for giving characters the benefit of the doubt and for grounding the eerie and the uncanny in our lived experiences. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for the benefit of the doubt

Rhymes for the benefit of the doubt

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Cite this Entry

“The benefit of the doubt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20benefit%20of%20the%20doubt. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

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