aid
verb (used with object)
to provide support for or relief to; help.
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aid
1 American
[ayd]
/ eɪd /
verb (used with object)
-
aids,
present (3rd person singular)
-
aided,
past participle, past
-
aiding
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
aids,
present (3rd person singular)
-
aided,
past participle, past
-
aiding
present participle
noun
-
aids
plural
-
help or support; assistance.
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a person or thing that aids or furnishes assistance; helper; auxiliary.
-
Manège. aids,
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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.
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Also called artificial aids. the devices used by a rider to increase control of a horse, as spurs, whip, and martingale.
-
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a payment made by feudal vassals to their lord on special occasions.
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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
2
American
[ayd]
/ eɪd /
noun
U.S. Government.
AID
3
American
abbreviation
-
American Institute of Decorators.
-
American Institute of Interior Designers.
-
British. artificial insemination donor. Also A.I.D.
aid
1
British
/ eɪd /
verb
-
to give support to (someone to do something); help or assist
-
(tr) to assist financially
noun
-
assistance; help; support
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a person, device, etc, that helps or assists
a teaching aid
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Also: artificial aid. mountaineering any of various devices such as piton or nut when used as a direct help in the ascent
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(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
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informal in support of; for the purpose of
AID
2
British
abbreviation
-
acute infectious disease
-
artificial insemination (by) donor: former name for Donor Insemination (DI)
Aid
3
British
combining form
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.
Synonym Usage
See help.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
aidsimple
-
aidssimple
-
have aidedperfect
-
has aidedperfect
-
am aidingprogressive
-
are aidingprogressive
-
is aidingprogressive
-
have been aidingperfect progressive
-
has been aidingperfect progressive
Past
-
aidedsimple
-
had aidedperfect
-
was aidingprogressive
-
were aidingprogressive
-
had been aidingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of aid1
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”; see also adjuvant ( def. )
Origin of AID2
A(gency for) I(nternational) D(evelopment)
Explanation
Aid is what you do when you help someone — you come to their aid. Rich countries provide economic aid to poor countries, and if you cut your hand, you'll be looking in the first aid kit for a Band-Aid. You can also use aid as a verb: "The librarian will aid you in your search." English has some words with meanings related to aid, but they're spelled with an -e on the end, because they come from the French. A nurse's aide is someone who assists a nurse. An aide-de-camp is a close assistant and confidant to a military officer, a word often shortened to just aide, to refer to an assistant to a political official.
Vocabulary lists containing aid
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Nouraei says creatine may also aid the uncomfortable symptoms of perimenopause and menopause.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026
It helps support muscle performance and recovery, and may aid brain function.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026
Reliance on food banks is increasing and since 2015 the number of known settings providing food aid in Cornwall has risen from 20 to 180, according to Cornwall Council.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026
Now there are wearable technologies—such as headbands designed to aid meditation or sleep—whose effectiveness remains debatable.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Mom brings up the first aid kit and a sandwich, and my stomach grumbles at the sight of food.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
"Deploying Artificial Intelligence in Services to AID Vulnerable Consumers" is published in the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 18, 2024
AID official, was in East Africa to pledge aid to help the region’s fight against hunger amid a devastating multi-year drought.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 27, 2022
As school enrolment becomes universal and members of the population begin to achieve similarly high levels of education, the AID declines again.
From Nature ● Apr. 14, 2020
By midmorning, a line snaked out the door of AID Atlanta’s Midtown clinic.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 17, 2019
“Can you believe they even gave her that AID virus and injected her into monkeys?”
From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot
Aid groups have warned that the humanitarian crisis is far from over.
From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026
In Woods’ case, she contacted both her servicer and the Education Department’s Office of Federal Student Aid, or FSA, asking why her debt still appeared on her credit report.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
Stand-in coach Marcus Trescothick was happy to admit his disappointment at what had transpired, a shift in tone from the Kool Aid messaging of the Bazball boys.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
Aid workers have witnessed such events, and in at least one case filmed them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
Experienced black Urban League staff worked side by side with white women workers from the Travelers Aid Society to get migrants’ first steps on the right path.
From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield
Instead, it aids exercise, helping you lift heavier weights or do more reps per set.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026
Sleeping better — or getting hearing aids or cataract surgery — won’t immunize you from all types of fraud.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026
Arsenal are open to allowing teenage prodigy Max Dowman to leave the club on loan this term if it aids his development.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
For Vitamin B-2, which aids cellular metabolism, he devised a synthesis that improved on European methods while avoiding their patents, cutting the price by more than 99%.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
“Did you put your hearing aids in? I said, I swear I saw Luke.”
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
All this was presented in calm, scientific prose and aided by dense mathematical equations.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2026
Since July, hundreds of experts and soldiers have been working to unearth layers of remains at the park, aided by bulldozers, excavators and water pumps but often sifting through the mud by hand.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
It’s a slim premise, overlapping with exhibitions about her landscapes or New York scenes, but Detroit’s modest exhibit is aided by its airy display.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
The Rams’ pass rush will be aided by the addition of lineman Aaron Donald, the three-time NFL defensive player of the year who will make his season debut after coming out of two-year retirement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026
The two women set up a studio there, aided by elder daughter Johanna, who soon afterward headed to Surinam herself.
From "The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science" by Joyce Sidman
The jury found that she had done the acts in relation to all five charges – including four counts of aiding and abetting her husband's offending.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
He argues the technology could modernize court infrastructure, aiding in case management, scheduling and document processing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
And being stuck in a hospital bed is not good for a patient, often leading to a decline in physical health rather than aiding their recovery.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
Foreign experts, including from China, India and South Korea, are aiding Nepali teams in rescue efforts.
From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026
“She is guilty of aiding and abetting an enemy of the gods.”
From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan
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