AID

¹ American  

[eyd] / eɪd /

noun

U.S. Government.

1. the division of the United States International Development Cooperation Agency that coordinates the various foreign aid programs with U.S. foreign policy: established in 1961.

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AID ² American  

abbreviation

1. American Institute of Decorators.

2. American Institute of Interior Designers.

3. British. artificial insemination donor. Also A.I.D.

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aid ³ American  

[eyd] / eɪd /

verb (used with object)

1. to provide support for or relief to; help.

   to aid the victims of the fire.

2. to promote the progress or accomplishment of; facilitate.

   Synonyms:

   advance, foster, back, abet

   Antonyms:

   frustrate, hinder

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verb (used without object)

1. to give help or assistance.

noun

1. help or support; assistance.

   Synonyms:

   grant, subsidy, relief, succor

2. a person or thing that aids or furnishes assistance; helper; auxiliary.

3. Manège. aids,

   1. Also called natural aids.  the means by which a rider communicates with and controls a horse, as the hands, legs, voice, and shifts in weight.

   2. Also called artificial aids.  the devices used by a rider to increase control of a horse, as spurs, whip, and martingale.

4. aide-de-camp.

5. foreign aid.

6. a payment made by feudal vassals to their lord on special occasions.

7. English History. (after 1066) any of several revenues received by a king in the Middle Ages from his vassals and other subjects, limited by the Magna Charta to specified occasions.

aid ¹ British  

/ eɪd /

verb

1. to give support to (someone to do something); help or assist

2. (tr) to assist financially

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noun

1. assistance; help; support

2. a person, device, etc, that helps or assists

   a teaching aid

3. Also: artificial aid.  mountaineering any of various devices such as piton or nut when used as a direct help in the ascent

4. (in medieval Europe; in England after 1066) a feudal payment made to the king or any lord by his vassals, usually on certain occasions such as the marriage of a daughter or the knighting of an eldest son

5. informal in support of; for the purpose of

AID ² British  

abbreviation

1. acute infectious disease

2. artificial insemination (by) donor: former name for Donor Insemination (DI)

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Aid ³ British  

combining form

1. denoting a charitable organization or function that raises money for a cause

   Band Aid

   Ferryaid

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Commonly Confused

Although the nouns aid and aide both have among their meanings “an assisting person,” the spelling aide is increasingly used for the sense “helper, assistant”: One of the senator's aides is calling. Aide in military use is short for aide-de-camp. It is also the spelling in nurse's aide.

Related Words

See help.

Other Word Forms

• aider noun
• aidful adjective
• aidless adjective
• unaided adjective
• unaidedly adverb
• unaiding adjective

Etymology

Origin of AID¹

A(gency for) I(nternational) D(evelopment)

Origin of aid³

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English noun aide, eide, from Anglo-French, Old French aide, derivative of verb aid(i)er, from Latin adjūtāre “to help”; adjuvant ( def. )

Example Sentences

While punishing US aid cuts in 2025 were partially reversed, concerns about donor dependence persist, including reliance on host India and how this intersects with New Delhi's relationship with China -- once icy, now gradually easing.

From Barron's

Ibrahima Konate said he returned to Liverpool ahead of schedule after the death of his father to aid the Premier League champions through a defensive injury crisis.

From Barron's

Rybakina, meanwhile, remained ice-cool and served out with the aid of two aces for her second major title.

From BBC

The American star says he "always wanted to invest in a soccer team" – and that he wants to help Swansea generate income to aid their bid to return to the Premier League.

From BBC

Petro leaves office later this year, but for Colombia, the stakes are huge: hundreds of millions of dollars a year in military and other aid and the country's most important trading relationship.

From Barron's

Related Words

• assistance
• benefit
• care
• compensation
• cooperation
• gift
• relief
• service
• subsidy
• treatment