help

[ help ]

/ hɛlp /

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.

SYNONYMS 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

ANTONYMS FOR help

3, 11 hinder.

7 afflict.

13 hindrance.

See antonyms for help on Thesaurus.com

QUIZZES

THIS PSAT VOCABULARY QUIZ IS PERFECT PRACTICE FOR THE REAL TEST

In our third teacher-created PSAT practice test there are new and unique vocabulary terms you may have never heard of! Can you guess what they mean?

Question 1 of 10

seclusion

a false belief or opinion.

the matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid.

the state of being isolated, kept apart, or withdrawn into solitude.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms for 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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for help

People living in some of the most affected countries often do not have governments that can meet these criteria, making it difficult for them to be eligible to get international help.
Natural disasters are increasing. The world’s poorest are left to fend for themselves.|Jariel Arvin|November 20, 2020|Vox
Portland has needed defensive help in the frontcourt and on the wings since parting with Al-Farouq Aminu and Moe Harkless in 2019.
NBA free agency tracker (plus trades): Warriors acquire Kelly Oubre; 76ers trade Al Horford to Thunder|Ben Golliver|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
As Washington scrapes the bottom of its roster to find help, it may have to turn to the top of the depth chart.
Washington is now down to its fourth option at left tackle: Right tackle Morgan Moses|Nicki Jhabvala|November 19, 2020|Washington Post
He decided to turn to the community for help — a role reversal, after helping others for years.
A restaurant that fed the homeless said it might have to close. Donations poured in.|Paulina Firozi|November 19, 2020|Washington Post

Cleveland had the worst record in the East last year, and it needs help at virtually every position.
NBA draft winners and losers: A win for LaMelo Ball, woe for the Warriors|Ben Golliver|November 19, 2020|Washington Post
Being something of a political cipher may have helped Revels rise to prominence.
The Black Man Who Replaced Jefferson Davis in the Senate|Philip Dray|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Investigators will focus on whether the sudden emergency was so extreme that no degree of pilot skill would have helped.
Flight 8501 Poses Question: Are Modern Jets Too Automated to Fly?|Clive Irving|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But Scott, in taking the parlance of the street to the SportsCenter desk, helped affirm its ascendance.
Remembering ESPN’s Sly, Cocky, and Cool Anchor Stuart Scott|Stereo Williams|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Another set of hackers that goes by the name the Lizard Squad told the Washington Post that they helped with the Sony hack.
U.S. Spies Say They Tracked ‘Sony Hackers’ For Years|Shane Harris|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I told them the story about how Delta helped her propose to me in the middle of the international terminal here at Delta.
How A Company’s Support of Gay Employees Helped One of Them To Come Out||December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
No, Peggy; tis irksome to stay here under the conditions of things, but I see not how it can be helped.
Peggy Owen at Yorktown|Lucy Foster Madison
It helped her to bow to the commands of this man when he bade her marry him, and she loved him!
The House of the Misty Star|Fannie Caldwell Macaulay
He was accustomed to tent life and camping out, and helped us much in similar experiences.
A Girl's Ride in Iceland|Ethel Brilliana Alec-Tweedie
He would like to kill the fool who helped the Venetians to their arms.
The Saracen: Land of the Infidel|Robert Shea
Even our sergeant, who helped during the night, took a comrade off in the morning and disappeared.
My War Experiences in Two Continents|Sarah Macnaughtan

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

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

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

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WORD OF THE DAY

help

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

interjection

Verb Phrases

SYNONYMS FOR help

ANTONYMS FOR help

QUIZZES

THIS PSAT VOCABULARY QUIZ IS PERFECT PRACTICE FOR THE REAL TEST

Idioms for help

Origin of help

synonym study for help

usage note for help

OTHER WORDS FROM help

Example sentences from the Web for help

British Dictionary definitions for help

verb

noun

interjection

Derived forms of help

Word Origin for help

Idioms and Phrases with help

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

help

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

interjection

Verb Phrases

SYNONYMS FOR help

ANTONYMS FOR help

QUIZZES

THIS PSAT VOCABULARY QUIZ IS PERFECT PRACTICE FOR THE REAL TEST

Idioms for help

Origin of help

synonym study for help

usage note for help

OTHER WORDS FROM help

Words related to help

Example sentences from the Web for help

British Dictionary definitions for help

verb

noun

interjection

Derived forms of help

Word Origin for help

Idioms and Phrases with help