assistance
Americannoun
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assistance
plural
noun
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help; support
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the act of assisting
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informal See national assistance
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of assistance
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English assistence, from Medieval Latin assistentia; assist + -ance
Explanation
If you see a blind man having trouble crossing the street, offer him some assistance. Lending a hand is just one way of providing assistance. Assistance is a noun that means to help or aid. It's the noun form for the verb to assist. Homes for the elderly are sometimes called "assisted living facilities" because they provide assistance to older folks who might need assistance getting in and out of bed, or feeding themselves. If you're in a store and no one is helping you, call a manager and ask for assistance. However, if you like to shop, you probably won't need any assistance spending money.
Vocabulary lists containing assistance
List 5
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List 3
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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.
The Philippines Red Cross said it was alerted to the incident at 14:00 local time and had dispatched an ambulance with four paramedics to provide life-saving assistance.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
After Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, his foundation pumped more than $800 million toward Ukrainian food assistance, demining operations and war-crime investigations, among other causes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
"In India, with your assistance, chip design, manufacturing, equipment manufacturing, material ecosystem, testing capability -- we worked at all of it, at the same time, and have achieved success in it."
From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026
Company leaders worked with Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Jaime Moore and paid for firefighter assistance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
They sent the cunning Hermes to his assistance, who contrived stealthily by night to get him out of his prison.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
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.
