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
Recent Examples on the Web
Buffalo still earns the benefit of the doubt despite four of those losses coming with Josh Allen at the helm.
—
Scott Phillips, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
Trump continues to disparage Biden for high inflation, but Biden hasn’t been in office for 12 months, and polls show Americans are no longer giving Trump the benefit of the doubt.
—David Goldman, CNN Money, 2 Jan. 2026
Here, a fairy tale-level ogre in Lorincz gets the benefit of the doubt from police because of her whiteness.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 29 Dec. 2025
Semiconductors were up more than 2% as a group but remain almost 8% below their highs, investors persistently stingy about giving the group the benefit of the doubt that scarcity economics around AI will continue deep into next year.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 18 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for the benefit of the doubt
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Scott Phillips, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
Trump continues to disparage Biden for high inflation, but Biden hasn’t been in office for 12 months, and polls show Americans are no longer giving Trump the benefit of the doubt.
—David Goldman, CNN Money, 2 Jan. 2026
Here, a fairy tale-level ogre in Lorincz gets the benefit of the doubt from police because of her whiteness.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 29 Dec. 2025
Semiconductors were up more than 2% as a group but remain almost 8% below their highs, investors persistently stingy about giving the group the benefit of the doubt that scarcity economics around AI will continue deep into next year.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 18 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for the benefit of the doubt
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 11 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share