aide
Americannoun
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an assistant or helper, especially a paid employee.
Years ago, my mom was a teacher’s aide in a kindergarten classroom.
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During the war she worked as an aide in a field hospital, changing bedpans and cleaning floors.
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an assistant or advisor to a public figure, especially one who works for a person in public office.
He is a journalist and former White House aide.
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The agency just called to say my mom's aide didn't show up this morning.
noun
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an assistant
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social welfare an unqualified assistant to a professional welfare worker
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short for aide-de-camp
Commonly Confused
See aid.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of aide
An Americanism first recorded in 1770–80; from French: literally, “helper”; see origin at aid
Explanation
Remember that aide with an "e" at the end is a noun. It refers to a person who helps or acts as an assistant, such as a nurse's aide or a presidential aide. The noun aide is actually a shortened form of the 17th century French phrase, aide-de-camp, which meant "camp assistant" and was the title given to the secretary of a high-ranking military officer. It was used extensively throughout the Revolutionary War, and the shortened form is considered an Americanism. Today, we apply the word aide to anyone who serves as an advisor or as an assistant.
Vocabulary lists containing aide
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Scrabble: Four-Letter Words with 3 Vowels
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Out of My Mind
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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.
Earlier Thursday, a top White House aide said he thought Warsh would be able to convince his colleagues that rates can be lowered.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 2, 2026
An aide to France's Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said police were working "to find the perpetrator, who has fled".
From Barron's • Jun. 30, 2026
In the Council District 9 race, DSA-endorsed community organizer Estuardo Mazariegos will be in a runoff with Jose Ugarte, a former aide to termed-out incumbent Curren Price.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 22, 2026
His abduction, alongside that of his aide Obeid Lutale, sparked intense regional debate over legal jurisdiction and human rights.
From BBC • Jun. 22, 2026
Recent polls, an aide pointed out, showed that the public approved of the American commitment to support South Vietnam.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
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.
