definitions

aid

[ eyd ]
/ eɪd /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR aid ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to provide support for or relief to; help: to aid the homeless victims of the fire.
to promote the progress or accomplishment of; facilitate.

verb (used without object)

to give help or assistance.

noun

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RELATED WORDS

gift, service, assistance, benefit, subsidy, compensation, relief, cooperation, care, treatment, subsidize, abet, assist, encourage, alleviate, promote, alleviation, backing, encouragement, sustenance

Nearby words

ai, aia, aiaw, aicc, aiche, aid, aid climbing, aid station, aid-de-camp, aida, aidan

Origin of aid

1375–1425; (noun) late Middle English ayde < Anglo-French, Old French aide, noun derivative of aid(i)er < Latin adjūtāre to help (frequentative of adjuvāre), equivalent to ad- ad- + -jū- help + -t- frequentative suffix + -āre infinitive suffix; (v.) < Anglo-French, Old French aid(i)er < Latin, as above

SYNONYMS FOR aid

1 See help.
2 abet, back, foster, advance.
4 succor; relief; subsidy, grant.
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR aid ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

Can be confused

aid aide (see usage note at the current entry)aides aids AIDS

Usage note

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.

Definition for aid (2 of 3)

AID

[ eyd ]
/ eɪd /

noun U.S. Government.

the division of the United States International Development Cooperation Agency that coordinates the various foreign aid programs with U.S. foreign policy: established in 1961.

Origin of AID

A(gency for) I(nternational) D(evelopment)

Definition for aid (3 of 3)

AID

American Institute of Decorators.
American Institute of Interior Designers.
Also A.I.D. British. artificial insemination donor.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for aid

British Dictionary definitions for aid (1 of 3)

aid

/ (eɪd) /

verb

to give support to (someone to do something); help or assist
(tr) to assist financially

noun

Derived Forms

aider, noun

Word Origin for aid

C15: via Old French aidier from Latin adjūtāre to help, from juvāre to help

British Dictionary definitions for aid (2 of 3)

Aid

-aid

n combining form

denoting a charitable organization or function that raises money for a causeBand Aid; Ferryaid

British Dictionary definitions for aid (3 of 3)

AID

abbreviation for

acute infectious disease
artificial insemination (by) donor: former name for Donor Insemination (DI)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medicine definitions for aid

AID

abbr.

artificial insemination donor
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.