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

"Even today, despite the complexities of borders, population densities and social inequalities, humans continue to migrate for the same fundamental reasons: to find more favorable areas, reunite with loved ones and join mutual aid networks."

From Science Daily • Apr. 28, 2026

In a community built on mutual aid, you can’t verify what a stranger believes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 19, 2026

In West Virginia, resistance to ICE and mass deportations is growing, modeled on the mutual aid networks and organizing in urban centers.

From Salon • Mar. 17, 2026

“In 2020, I remember I spent all day doing mutual aid, then coming into the booth to write with the chemical gas smell still coming off my clothes while I recorded,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 30, 2026

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