Synonyms

helping hand

American

noun

aid; assistance.

to give the destitute a helping hand.

helping hand British

noun

assistance

many people lent a helping hand in making arrangements for the party

"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

helping hand Idioms

see under lend a hand.

Etymology

Origin of helping hand

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50

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:

helping hand

He said the population that remained was "extremely fragmented", adding that it "needs a helping hand to recover".

From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026

A new project can always use a helping hand — some popular IP, a respected brand name — to skip to the front of the line and cross the velvet rope to an audience.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

SpaceX is no Pets.com, but will retail enthusiasm, Nasdaq’s helping hand and Musk’s Midas touch be enough to send it far past its mammoth $1.75 trillion value without profits?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026

Parkkonen, who appears on stage as enigmatic and brooding while lamenting his unanswered love next to a flaming confessional, hoped the song will serve as "a helping hand".

From Barron's ● Apr. 30, 2026

Maybe he figured if he didn’t do it, nobody would, or maybe he was just trying to give the reviewers a helping hand; I don’t know.

From "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023