- present participle of help.
helping
Americannoun
-
helpings
plural
-
the act of a person or thing that helps.
-
a portion of food served to a person at one time.
That's his third helping of ice cream.
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of helping
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English; see origin at help, -ing 1, -ing 2
Vocabulary lists containing helping
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:
Her passion for crocheting and helping children led to launching her own yarn line, called Vanna’s Choice.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2026
Lord Bailey said the government should instead focus on helping businesses employ young people.
From BBC ● Nov. 13, 2026
That mismatch places the bismuth ferrite under compression, helping preserve the atomic structure required for its electrical and magnetic properties to remain intact.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 13, 2026
In the first 10 months of this year, that index’s technology sector gained 88.5%, helping to power the benchmark to a 24.5% return.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 13, 2026
“Besides the books, this girl has been in the store dusting, arranging things, helping customers every time I’ve been there! She’s always asking me questions about the pieces: ‘What period is this ware?
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
“The Storytellers” considers these writers and others of the 19th century with large helpings of narrative summary but always with insight and intelligence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Over glasses of tea and helpings of baklava, I ask if he and his family would move back.
From BBC ● Dec. 29, 2025
Those are solid results, considering the funds’ big helpings of bonds—the safety-first shock absorbers that make up a big part of their appeal to cautious investors.
From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2025
“Papa, you’re making a mess of yourself,” commented Mom, as she, Nani, and Ravi looked on, neatly eating their helpings with forks.
From Salon ● Jan. 2, 2024
Mother asked one night when he waved away second helpings of cabbage.
From "Among the Hidden" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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