aide
Americannoun
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aides
plural
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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
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Scrabble: Four-Letter Words with 3 Vowels
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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.
See Examples For:
Once a staffer was identified, the agitators would follow him to his destination, including the restroom, where they would wait outside for the aide and immediately begin recording him when he came out.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
His close aide – Harem Ahmed Abawaker – was given eight years in prison.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
The back-to-back parodies mark a sudden pop-culture turn for a White House aide who has largely operated outside the spotlight.
From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2026
In the race to replace Councilmember Bob Blumenfield in the west San Fernando Valley, business owner Tim Gaspar had collected $265,000 for the runoff campaign, compared with nearly $101,000 for political aide Barri Worth Girvan.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
An aide rushed in with a cable from Soviet agents in Washington: the KGB had just observed President Kennedy going into a church.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
The videos show a mix of congressional aides, associates of Mr. McConnell, health and support staff, his wife, Elaine Chao, and even men holding carpet samples.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
While details are vague, he seems to envision the “National Care Service” covering in-home health aides and the like.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
The proposed change would remove standards that require teachers or aides to speak the predominant home language of their students.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026
Defensive support is described by UK officials as that which aides Saudi air force jets shooting down incoming Houthi missiles and drones.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
Buford’s aides came to him, back to die shepherd.
From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara
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.
