Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

mutual aid

American  

noun

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


Etymology

Origin of mutual aid

First recorded in 1530–40

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:

Dandia experienced this as a 19-year-old college student, when a young Bangladeshi man joined a mutual aid charity he had started.

From Barron's Sep. 4, 2026

The whistles and the mutual aid networks demonstrated that it did not.

From Slate Jul. 27, 2026

In Minneapolis and other cities, Americans are organizing mutual aid for those groups that are being targeted by the administration.

From Salon Jun. 23, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal Apr. 19, 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

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 12,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training