Helen
Americannoun
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Also called Helen of Troy. Classical Mythology. the beautiful daughter of Zeus and Leda and wife of Menelaus whose abduction by Paris was the cause of the Trojan War.
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a female given name.
noun
Etymology
Origin of Helen
< French Hélène < Latin Helena < Greek Helénē, of obscure origin, probably the name of a pre-Greek vegetation goddess; often linked by folk etymology with helénē, helánē torch, St. Elmo's fire, an unrelated word
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.
Her staff has been facilitating a conversation with people at Universal Studios and has found them to be “very willing partners,” said Helen Chavez Garcia, Barger’s communications director.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Musk can be counted among the many conservatives who were angered by Nolan’s decision to cast Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy and Elliot Page as Sinon.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
Nadira Goffe interviewed a classicist about the significance of casting Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy and argues that the controversy over her appearance misses the point.
From Slate ● Jul. 20, 2026
Helen Draper says she cannot sit back and "witness more teenagers die from a preventable disease"
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
No. I shake my head enough so Helen can see it.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
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.
