help

[ help ]

/ hɛlp /

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See synonyms for: help / helped / helping / helps on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to give or provide what is necessary to accomplish a task or satisfy a need; contribute strength or means to; render assistance to; cooperate effectively with; aid; assist: He planned to help me with my work. Let me help you with those packages.

to save; rescue; succor: Help me, I'm falling!

to make easier or less difficult; contribute to; facilitate: The exercise of restraint is certain to help the achievement of peace.

to be useful or profitable to: Her quick mind helped her career.

to refrain from; avoid (usually preceded by can or cannot): He can't help doing it.

to relieve or break the uniformity of: Small patches of bright color can help an otherwise dull interior.

to relieve (someone) in need, sickness, pain, or distress.

to remedy, stop, or prevent: Nothing will help my headache.

to serve food to at table (usually followed by to): Help her to salad.

to serve or wait on (a customer), as in a store.

verb (used without object)

to give aid; be of service or advantage: Every little bit helps.

noun

the act of helping; aid or assistance; relief or succor.

a person or thing that helps: She certainly is a help in an emergency.

a hired helper; employee.

a body of such helpers.

a domestic servant or a farm laborer.

means of remedying, stopping, or preventing: The thing is done, and there is no help for it now.

Older Use. helping (def. 2).

interjection

(used as an exclamation to call for assistance or to attract attention.)

Verb Phrases

help out, to assist in an effort; be of aid to: Her relatives helped out when she became ill.

OTHER WORDS FOR help

1 encourage, befriend; support, second, uphold, back, abet.

3 further, promote, foster.

6 ameliorate.

7 alleviate, cure, heal.

12 support, backing.

See synonyms for help on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR help

3, 11 hinder.

7 afflict.

13 hindrance.

See antonyms for help on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

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Idioms about help

cannot / can't help but, to be unable to refrain from or avoid; be obliged to: Still, you can't help but admire her.

help oneself to,

to serve oneself; take a portion of: Help yourself to the cake.
to take or use without asking permission; appropriate: They helped themselves to the farmer's apples. Help yourself to any of the books we're giving away.

so help me, (used as a mild form of the oath “so help me God”) I am speaking the truth; on my honor: That's exactly what happened, so help me.

Origin of help

First recorded before 900; Middle English helpen, Old English helpan; cognate with German helfen

synonym study for help

1. Help, aid, assist, succor agree in the idea of furnishing another with something needed, especially when the need comes at a particular time. Help implies furnishing anything that furthers one's efforts or relieves one's wants or necessities. Aid and assist, somewhat more formal, imply especially a furthering or seconding of another's efforts. Aid implies a more active helping; assist implies less need and less help. To succor, still more formal and literary, is to give timely help and relief in difficulty or distress: Succor him in his hour of need.

usage note for help

21. Cannot/can't help but has been condemned by some as the ungrammatical version of cannot/can’t help followed by the present participle: You can’t help but admire her. You can’t help admiring her. However, the idiom Cannot/can't help but is so common in all types of speech and writing that it must be characterized as standard.

OTHER WORDS FROM help

help·a·ble, adjectiveun·der·help, nounun·help·a·ble, adjectiveun·helped, adjective

well-helped, adjective

Words nearby help

Héloïse, helophyte, Helot, helotism, helotry, help, helper, helper T cell, helpful, helping, helping hand

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use help in a sentence

In that situation, had there been a number to call to get the help of social workers, the result might have been different, according to Schwartz.
The policing reforms in the Breonna Taylor settlement, explained|Fabiola Cineas|September 17, 2020|Vox
Don’t try to fix a ballot with tape or correction fluid if you mess up, and don’t be embarrassed to ask for help.
ProPublica’s Pandemic Guide to Making Sure Your Vote Counts|by Susie Armitage|September 16, 2020|ProPublica
Eighty-five percent of restaurants will probably close if we don’t get some help from the government.
Tom Colicchio Hopes (and Fears) COVID-19 Will Change the Restaurant Industry|Pallabi Munsi|September 16, 2020|Ozy
Extra step — check whether your structured data actually works with the help of Google’s Rich Result Test.
8 major Google ranking factors — SEO guide|Sponsored Content: SEO PowerSuite|September 15, 2020|Search Engine Land

The legislation offered limited help to tenants of the Galleria.
The Big Corporate Rescue and the America That’s Too Small to Save|by Lydia DePillis, Justin Elliott and Paul Kiel|September 12, 2020|ProPublica
That strategy has been used in some cases to help determine GMO policy.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
In the end, the clarity that comes from moments of horror can help us recommit to deeper principles.
Why We Stand With Charlie Hebdo—And You Should Too|John Avlon|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Sadly, it appears the American press often doesn't need any outside help when it comes to censoring themselves.
Politicians Only Love Journalists When They're Dead|Luke O’Neil|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
A Wall Street person should not be allowed to help oversee the Dodd-Frank reforms.
Antonio Weiss Is Not Part of the Problem|Steve Rattner|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Finding the common bonds that help us realize that we have far more in common than that which separates us.
In 2015, Let’s Try for More Compassion|Gene Robinson|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
And to tell the truth, she couldn't help wishing he could see, so he could make the game livelier.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole|Arthur Scott Bailey
Then with your victorious legions you can march south and help drive the Yankee invaders from the land.
The Courier of the Ozarks|Byron A. Dunn
In fact, except for Ramona's help, it would have been a question whether even Alessandro could have made Baba work in harness.
Ramona|Helen Hunt Jackson
Terror drives you on; fate coerces you; you can't help yourself, and my delight is to make the plunge terrible.
Checkmate|Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
There is always in the background of my mind dread lest help should reach the enemy before we have done with Sedd-el-Bahr.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton

British Dictionary definitions for help

help

/ (hɛlp) /

verb

to assist or aid (someone to do something), esp by sharing the work, cost, or burden of somethinghe helped his friend to escape; she helped him climb out of the boat

to alleviate the burden of (someone else) by giving assistance

(tr) to assist (a person) to go in a specified directionhelp the old lady up from the chair

to promote or contribute toto help the relief operations

to cause improvement in (a situation, person, etc)crying won't help

(tr; preceded by can, could, etc; usually used with a negative)

to avoid or refrain fromwe can't help wondering who he is
(usually foll by it) to prevent or be responsible forI can't help it if it rains

to alleviate (an illness, etc)

(tr) to serve (a customer)can I help you, madam?

(tr foll by to)

to serve (someone with food, etc) (usually in the phrase help oneself)may I help you to some more vegetables?; help yourself to peas
to provide (oneself with) without permissionhe's been helping himself to money out of the petty cash

cannot help but to be unable to do anything else exceptI cannot help but laugh

help a person off with to assist a person in the removal of (clothes)

help a person on with to assist a person in the putting on of (clothes)

so help me

on my honour
no matter whatso help me, I'll get revenge

noun

the act of helping, or being helped, or a person or thing that helpsshe's a great help

a helping

a person hired for a job; employee, esp a farm worker or domestic servant
(functioning as singular) several employees collectively

a means of remedythere's no help for it

interjection

used to ask for assistance

Derived forms of help

helpable, adjectivehelper, noun

Word Origin for help

Old English helpan; related to Old Norse hjalpa, Gothic hilpan, Old High German helfan

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with help

help

In addition to the idioms beginning with help

helping hand
help oneself
help out

also see:

can't help but
every little bit helps
not if one can help it
so help me

help

OTHER WORDS FOR help

OPPOSITES FOR help

Idioms about help

Origin of help

synonym study for help

usage note for help

OTHER WORDS FROM help

Words nearby help

Words related to help

How to use help in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for help

Derived forms of help

Word Origin for help

Other Idioms and Phrases with help