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Synonyms

helper

American  
[hel-per] / ˈhɛl pər /

noun

  1. a person or thing that helps or gives assistance, support, etc.

    Synonyms:
    ally, auxiliary, backer, supporter, assistant, aid

  2. an extra locomotive attached to a train at the front, middle, or rear, especially to provide extra power for climbing a steep grade.

Etymology

Origin of helper

First recorded in 1250–1300; help + -er 1

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.

Without these helper genes, neural stem cells cannot effectively renew themselves.

From Science Daily

Lily may be the least helpful helper in the family, but she entertains me with screamed renditions of Disney songs and informs me when she thinks my T-shirts are ugly.

From Literature

Praised for warding off pests, so-called bodega cats are also a cultural fixture for New Yorkers, some of whom are now pushing to enshrine legal rights for the little store helpers.

From Barron's

One of her helpers, who moved to the States from Laos at the age of 2, beams that her proximity to the first lady “really is the American dream.”

From Los Angeles Times

According to Hartman, CD4+ T cells, often called "helper" cells, do not usually get much attention in cancer research.

From Science Daily

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.