helping

American  

[hel-ping] / ˈhɛl pɪŋ /

noun

1. the act of a person or thing that helps.

2. a portion of food served to a person at one time.

   That's his third helping of ice cream.

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adjective

1. giving aid, assistance, support, or the like.

helping British  

/ ˈhɛlpɪŋ /

noun

1. a single portion of food taken at a meal

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Other Word Forms

• helpingly
  adverb
• unhelping
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of helping

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English; see origin at help, -ing ¹, -ing ²

Example Sentences

Contemplating events, the beasts summarize what they’ve learned with such bromides as “To work hard for our friends . . . that is freedom” and “You know what’s always right? Helping each other.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026

Helping fragile states, tackling violence against women and girls, and responding to climate change are among the priorities, Cooper said.

From BBC • Mar. 19, 2026

Helping adult children needs to be a conscious decision — not a default one driven by guilt or habit.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 18, 2026

Helping create the opportunity was assistant coach Anthony Catalano, who used to work with VMI’s new defensive coordinator five years ago at Cornell.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 6, 2026

Helping Mrs. Coulter had been all very well, but Pantalaimon was right: she wasn’t really doing any work there, she was just a pretty pet.

From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman