give someone the benefit of the doubt
/ɡɪv ˈsʌmwʌn ðə ˈbenɪfɪt əv ðə daʊt/
Meaning
This expression means to choose to believe that someone is telling the truth, behaving honestly, or has good intentions, even when you cannot be absolutely certain. It is used when there is a lack of evidence, and you decide to think the best of them rather than assuming the worst.
Examples
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She was late again, but I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt since traffic was terrible.
She was late again, but I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt since traffic was terrible.
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Let's give him the benefit of the doubt; maybe he genuinely forgot to reply to your email.
Let's give him the benefit of the doubt; maybe he genuinely forgot to reply to your email.
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I don't know if her story is entirely true, but I'm going to give her the benefit of the doubt.
I don't know if her story is entirely true, but I'm going to give her the benefit of the doubt.
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Instead of assuming he lied, why don't you give him the benefit of the doubt?
Instead of assuming he lied, why don't you give him the benefit of the doubt?
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They deserved to be given the benefit of the doubt before we jumped to any negative conclusions.
They deserved to be given the benefit of the doubt before we jumped to any negative conclusions.
Common Mistakes
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✗ I will give her the benefit of doubt.
✓ I will give her the benefit of the doubt.
You must include the definite article 'the' before 'doubt' to make the idiom grammatically correct.
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✗ We should give him the benefit of double.
✓ We should give him the benefit of the doubt.
This is a common mishearing. The correct word is 'doubt', not 'double'.
Related Expressions
Practice
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Even though his excuse sounded strange, I decided to __________.
💡 I chose to believe him despite my uncertainty.
Show answer
give him the benefit of the doubt
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Before you get angry at her, you should __________ and ask what happened.
💡 Don't assume she did something wrong right away.
Show answer
give her the benefit of the doubt