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

help or support; assistance.

a person or thing that aids or furnishes assistance; helper; auxiliary.

aids, Manège.

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.
Also called artificial aids. the devices by means of which a rider increases control of a horse, as spurs, whip, and martingale.

aide-de-camp.

foreign aid.

a payment made by feudal vassals to their lord on special occasions.

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.

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.

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ANTONYMS FOR aid

2 hinder, frustrate.

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Related forms

aid·er, nounaid·ful, adjectiveaid·less, adjectiveun·aid·ed, adjective

un·aid·ed·ly, adverbun·aid·ing, adjective

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

After all, smaller developing nations like Cameroon often depend on trade with and aid from the West.
The Straight Hero of Cameroon’s Gays|Jay Michaelson|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Followers had traveled many miles to mourn the loss, and aid in the ritual washing, dressing, and honoring of the body.
Jail Threats for Sierra Leone Ebola Victims’ Families|Abby Haglage|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But that comes too late for the family of an American aid worker killed by ISIS.
Exclusive: Obama Orders Hostage Policy Review|Shane Harris|November 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The woman was taken in August 2013, along with a group of other aid workers who have reportedly been released.
A 26-Year-Old Woman Is ISIS’s Last American Hostage|Shane Harris|November 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST

I remember the days of the Bosnian war (1992—1995), when Saudi Arabia sent convoys of aid to those besieged in Sarajevo.
Saudi Activist Manal Al-Sharif on Why She Removed the Veil|Manal Al Sharif, Advancing Human Rights|October 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On the capitulation of Burgoyne, near five thousand men had been detached by Gates to his aid.
The Life of George Washington, Vol. 2 (of 5)|John Marshall
The aid which Pyrrhus brought did little good to the Tarentines, and his final departure in 274 left them defenceless.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 17, Slice 3|Various
If there was a loss at my meetings I bore it myself; never asking any one for aid.
Modern Skepticism: A Journey Through the Land of Doubt and Back Again|Joseph Barker
The commonwealth of to-day as well as that of to-morrow demands our aid.
The Arena|Various
And now that Graham and Nolan were here to aid, this defect was noticed at once.
To The Front|Charles King

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

assistance; help; support

a person, device, etc, that helps or assistsa teaching aid

Also: artificial aid mountaineering any of various devices such as piton or nut when used as a direct help in the ascent

(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

in aid of British informal in support of; for the purpose of

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