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.
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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
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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:
When Syracuse University realized its class was behind enrollment targets in 2025, it made late aid offers to draw students.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
The U.S. has already pledged nearly $7 billion in annual U.S. military aid over the next two years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
Outside Khartoum, most wheat supplies arrive in the form of aid, but fuel shortages and spiralling prices, along with road closures due to the fighting, prevent deliveries.
From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2026
Despite attack ads saying otherwise, Roy hasn’t vowed to block prosecution of certain misdemeanor crimes — even though she prefers diversion programs as a way to aid homeless defendants.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026
“Once she learns that you are representing her child, she will listen and aid you.”
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
Under a settlement earlier this month, AID Coalition agreed not to organize additional flights and said it would let airlines set the price of tickets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026
To support this future research, the team seeks long-term, open-access AID datasets that include a wide range of sensor measurements of possible factors and a diverse cohort of people with T1D.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 27, 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
When education is concentrated in the hands of the few, the AID is low because most people have the same low level of educational attainment.
From Nature ● Apr. 14, 2020
“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
Rite Aid wasn’t as aggressive but still built up its national footprint to as many as 5,000 stores.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
Students apply for aid using the College Scholarship Service profile, an online application used by many selective colleges to award nonfederal institutional aid, alongside the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or Fafsa.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
Times that the actor was a proponent and advocate of New York’s Medical Aid in Dying Act, a law that took effect on Aug. 5.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
The Aid Coalition has launched a non-partisan initiative, called Fly & Vote, to assist Israelis abroad who want to return for the election.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
“Tell her it’s Mr. Sorenson from the Children’s Aid Society.”
From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline
Instead, it aids exercise, helping you lift heavier weights or do more reps per set.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026
While the border with China employs traps embedded with nails, the border with South Korea has explosive mines, said Choi Shi-woo, a North Korean defector heading NAUH, a nonprofit organization that aids escapees.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
She also has to use walking aids to get around due to the pain in her back brought on by her endometriosis symptoms.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
Sleeping better — or getting hearing aids or cataract surgery — won’t immunize you from all types of fraud.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026
Ebola does in ten days. ^ what it takes aids ten years to accomplish.
From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston
Now she sees GLP-1s similarly transforming and transcending healthcare, aided by AI.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
China has increased imports as more crude has cleared the Strait of Hormuz in the past couple of months, aided by U.S. involvement, said Matt Smith, Kpler’s U.S. lead analyst.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026
It turns out that sitting on that knowledge for a month only aided in my experience with the movie.
From Salon ● Oct. 25, 2026
That number was aided by the massive box office reception for Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” which has grossed nearly $1.8 billion worldwide.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
And also - less comfortably to the modern eye - like this: Most significantly of all, however, they ignored the old marks that had aided the reader-aloud.
From "Eats, Shoots & Leaves" by Author
The sale is also another example of how stronger oil and gas prices are aiding BP’s efforts to cut net debt.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
The commentary on the traditional cultural celebration prompted Pulido to put out an open call for invitations to perform at quinceañeras across the Congressional District, aiding his popularity in the region.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026
The Philippines foreign ministry earlier said Lazaro had spent Wednesday in the eastern state of Shan, overseeing humanitarian schemes aiding those displaced in the civil war triggered by the coup.
From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026
Manfred D. is suspected of aiding and abetting attempted treason and treasonous espionage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 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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