help

American  

[help] / hɛlp /

verb (used with object)

1. to give or provide what is necessary to accomplish a task or satisfy a need; contribute strength or means to; render assistance to; cooperate effectively with; aid; assist.

   He planned to help me with my work. Let me help you with those packages.

   Synonyms:

   abet , back , uphold , second , support , befriend , encourage

2. to save; rescue; succor.

   Help me, I'm falling!

3. to make easier or less difficult; contribute to; facilitate.

   The exercise of restraint is certain to help the achievement of peace.

   Synonyms:

   foster , promote , further

   Antonyms:

   hinder

4. to be useful or profitable to.

   Her quick mind helped her career.

5. to refrain from; avoid (usually preceded by can orcannot ).

   He can't help doing it.

6. to relieve or break the uniformity of.

   Small patches of bright color can help an otherwise dull interior.

   Synonyms:

   ameliorate

7. to relieve (someone) in need, sickness, pain, or distress.

   Synonyms:

   heal , cure , alleviate

   Antonyms:

   afflict

8. to remedy, stop, or prevent.

   Nothing will help my headache.

9. to serve food to at table (usually followed byto ).

   Help her to salad.

10. to serve or wait on (a customer), as in a store.

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verb (used without object)

1. to give aid; be of service or advantage.

   Every little bit helps.

   Antonyms:

   hinder

noun

1. the act of helping; aid or assistance; relief or succor.

   Synonyms:

   backing , support

2. a person or thing that helps.

   She certainly is a help in an emergency.

   Antonyms:

   hindrance

3. a hired helper; employee.

4. a body of such helpers.

5. a domestic servant or a farm laborer.

6. means of remedying, stopping, or preventing.

   The thing is done, and there is no help for it now.

7. Older Use.  helping.

interjection

1. (used as an exclamation to call for assistance or to attract attention.)

verb phrase

1. help out  to assist in an effort; be of aid to.

   Her relatives helped out when she became ill.

idioms

1. help oneself to,

   1. to serve oneself; take a portion of.

      Help yourself to the cake.

   2. to take or use without asking permission; appropriate.

      They helped themselves to the farmer's apples. Help yourself to any of the books we're giving away.

2. so help me,  (used as a mild form of the oath “so help me God”) I am speaking the truth; on my honor.

   That's exactly what happened, so help me.

3. cannot / can't help but,  to be unable to refrain from or avoid; be obliged to.

   Still, you can't help but admire her.

help British  

/ hɛlp /

verb

1. to assist or aid (someone to do something), esp by sharing the work, cost, or burden of something

   he helped his friend to escape

   she helped him climb out of the boat

2. to alleviate the burden of (someone else) by giving assistance

3. (tr) to assist (a person) to go in a specified direction

   help the old lady up from the chair

4. to promote or contribute to

   to help the relief operations

5. to cause improvement in (a situation, person, etc)

   crying won't help

6. (tr; preceded by can, could, etc; usually used with a negative)

   1. to avoid or refrain from

      we can't help wondering who he is

   2. (usually foll by it) to prevent or be responsible for

      I can't help it if it rains

7. to alleviate (an illness, etc)

8. (tr) to serve (a customer)

   can I help you, madam?

9. 1. to serve (someone with food, etc) (usually in the phrase help oneself )

      may I help you to some more vegetables?

      help yourself to peas

   2. to provide (oneself with) without permission

      he's been helping himself to money out of the petty cash

10. to be unable to do anything else except

    I cannot help but laugh

11. to assist a person in the removal of (clothes)

12. to assist a person in the putting on of (clothes)

13. 1. on my honour

    2. no matter what

       so help me, I'll get revenge

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noun

1. the act of helping, or being helped, or a person or thing that helps

   she's a great help

2. a helping

3. 1. a person hired for a job; employee, esp a farm worker or domestic servant

   2. (functioning as singular) several employees collectively

4. a means of remedy

   there's no help for it

interjection

1. used to ask for assistance

help More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing help

• can't help but
• every little bit helps
• not if one can help it
• so help me

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Usage

Cannot/can't help but has been condemned by some as the ungrammatical version of cannot/can’t help followed by the present participle: You can’t help but admire her. You can’t help admiring her. However, the idiom Cannot/can't help but is so common in all types of speech and writing that it must be characterized as standard.

Related Words

Help, aid, assist, succor agree in the idea of furnishing another with something needed, especially when the need comes at a particular time. Help implies furnishing anything that furthers one's efforts or relieves one's wants or necessities. Aid and assist, somewhat more formal, imply especially a furthering or seconding of another's efforts. Aid implies a more active helping; assist implies less need and less help. To succor, still more formal and literary, is to give timely help and relief in difficulty or distress: Succor him in his hour of need.

Other Word Forms

• helpable adjective
• helper noun
• underhelp noun
• unhelpable adjective
• unhelped adjective
• well-helped adjective

Etymology

Origin of help

First recorded before 900; Middle English helpen, Old English helpan; cognate with German helfen

Example Sentences

“Yeah. Dread in the morning. Anxiety and depression throughout the day. Sometimes I wonder if even worse when my parents try to help me — ”

From Salon

I’d recently started writing my novel, “King of the Armadillos,” inspired by his experience, and he was helping me access material from the archives of the National Hansen’s Disease Museum.

From Salon

This data is valuable: a one-hour session of developer data using an AI coding tool could cost as much at $500, according to startups that hire contractors to help train AI models.

From The Wall Street Journal

He noted that one idea about why animals might seek out ethanol is that its smell helps them locate foods that are richer in sugar and thus provide more energy.

From Science Daily

The outcome of this investigation may shape the development of large-scale, error-free quantum computers suitable for commercial use, a goal Dellios hopes to help lead.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• back
• benefit
• bolster
• boost
• cooperate
• encourage
• further
• maintain
• promote
• push
• save
• serve
• stimulate
• support