behalf

(bĭ-hăf', -häf')
n.
Interest, support, or benefit.

idioms:

in behalf of

1. For the benefit of; in the interest of.

on behalf of

1. As the agent of; on the part of.

[Middle English, from Old English be healfe, by (his) side : be, by, at; see by¹ + healf, side, half; see half.]

USAGE NOTE   A traditional rule holds that in behalf of and on behalf of have distinct meanings. In behalf of means "for the benefit of," as in We raised money in behalf of the earthquake victims. On behalf of means "as the agent of, on the part of," as in The guardian signed the contract on behalf of the minor child. The two meanings are quite close, however, and the phrases are often used interchangeably, even by reputable writers.

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is now used in British English only in the phrase on behalf of (American English in behalf of), which means (1) 'in the interests of', and (2) 'as a representative of'

(He used to make payments and pick up money on behalf of Mafia mobsters—Times, 1982).

It should not be used to mean 'on the part of', as in

The detail may be trivial but it betrays an astounding lack of appreciation on behalf of the author—Times, 1994.

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IN BRIEF: n. - As the agent of or on someone's part (usually expressed as "on behalf of" rather than "in behalf of"); For someone's benefit (usually expressed as `in behalf' rather than `on behalf' and usually with a possessive).

The universe will reward you for taking risks on its behalf. — Shakti Gawain

Tutor's tip: Being agent of or on someone's part is usually expressed as "on behalf of" rather than "in behalf of"; For someone's benefit this word is commonly used as `in behalf' rather than `on behalf' and usually with a possessive.

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See words rhyming with "behalf."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Behalf.

Dansk (Danish)
n. - vegne

idioms:

• in behalf of    på vegne af, på -s vegne
• on behalf of    på vegne af, på -s vegne

Nederlands (Dutch)
belang, steun

Français (French)
n. - au nom de, pour, de la part de, en faveur de, dans l'intérêt de

idioms:

• in behalf of    au nom de
• on behalf of    de la part de, au nom de, pour, en faveur de, dans l'intérêt de

Deutsch (German)
n. - Nutzen, Namen

idioms:

• in behalf of    für, im Interesse vom, im Namen vom, im Auftrag vom
• on behalf of    für..., im Namen von, im Interesse von, im Auftrag von

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - όφελος, συμφέρον

idioms:

• in behalf of    εκ μέρους, για λογαριασμό
• on behalf of    εκ μέρους, για λογαριασμό

Italiano (Italian)
vantaggio

Português (Portuguese)
n. - lado (m), interesse (m), favor (m)

idioms:

• in/on behalf of    em nome de

Русский (Russian)
чьи-либо интересы

idioms:

• in/on behalf of    во имя, за, в защиту

Español (Spanish)
n. - beneficio, interés, favor, nombre

idioms:

• in behalf of    en representación de
• on behalf of    en representación de

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - namn, ställe, räkning, vägnar

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
代表, 利益

idioms:

• in behalf of    为了..., 代表...
• on behalf of    代表...

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 代表, 利益

idioms:

• in behalf of    為了..., 代表...
• on behalf of    代表...

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 원조, 편들기, 이익

idioms:

• in behalf of    편이나 이익을 나타내기 위하여

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 大義, 支持, 利益

idioms:

• in/on behalf of    …のために, 代わって

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) مصلحه, نيابه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮תועלת, טובה, תמיכה‬

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