mutual aid

American  

noun

Sociology.

1. the cooperative as opposed to the competitive factors operating in the development of society.

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Etymology

Origin of mutual aid

First recorded in 1530–40

Example Sentences

The provenance was not clear, though it was likely a drop-off from one of the mutual aid or religious groups that work in the area.

From Slate • Jan. 27, 2026

He said it would also help with requests for mutual aid from other councils.

From BBC • Jan. 6, 2026

Selena soon finds herself welcomed into the quirky community, a close-knit group that scrapes by on the seasonal influx of tourist dollars and a year-round system of mutual aid.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 2, 2026

In September he greeted his uncle who had been deported without any possessions to provide him with a backpack of essentials, courtesy of a grassroots mutual aid project, the Ba Lô Project.

From Salon • Dec. 31, 2025

He had made a pact of mutual aid with two French kings, called Ban and Bon—and these two allies had come from France with about ten thousand men, to lend him aid.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White