Meaning & use
reap the benefits
Last updated
Meaning
phraseidiomfigurative
To receive the good results of effort, planning or investment you made earlier.
Grammar: Verb phrase with an object: they reaped the benefits, often followed by of something.
Patterns
- reap the benefits of something
- reap the benefits from something
After years of training, she is now reaping the benefits.
Towns that invested in broadband are reaping the benefits.
You must study first before you can reap the benefits.
Word forms
| third person singular | reaps the benefits |
|---|---|
| past tense | reaped the benefits |
| present participle | reaping the benefits |
Common combinations
- reap the benefits of
- Farmers reap the benefits of the new irrigation system.
- begin to reap the benefits
- The company is beginning to reap the benefits of its research.
- reap the full benefits
- You will reap the full benefits after six months.
- reap the long-term benefits
- Savers reap the long-term benefits of compound interest.
- reap the benefits of exercise
- You reap the benefits of exercise within weeks.
Synonyms and how they differ
- enjoy the fruits
- Enjoy the fruits is more literary and often implies a hard-won reward.
- profit from
- Profit from is plainer and often suggests money, while reap the benefits covers any good outcome.
- benefit from
- Benefit from is neutral and does not suggest earlier effort the way reap does.
Opposites
Word family
- reap verb
- to cut and gather a crop, or to receive results
- reaper noun
- a person or machine that harvests crops
- benefit noun
- a helpful result or advantage
- beneficial adjective
- producing good results
Commonly confused: reap the benefits or reap the rewards? reap the benefits or reep?
reap the benefits vs reap the rewards
Reap the rewards is almost the same, but rewards stresses prizes or payment, while benefits is broader.
reap the benefits vs reep
This is a common misspelling; the verb is spelled reap.
Practice
After years of saving, they can finally ___ the benefits.
Choose one answer.
Reap is the verb that goes with the benefits in this idiom. The other words do not form the fixed phrase.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “reap the benefits”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.