succor
Americannoun
-
help; relief; aid; assistance.
- Synonyms:
- support
-
a person or thing that gives help, relief, aid, etc.
verb (used with object)
Spelling
See -or 1.
Synonym Usage
See help.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of succor
1250–1300; (verb) Middle English sucuren from Old French suc(c)urre, socorre from Latin succurrere “to go beneath, run to help,” equivalent to suc- suc- + currere “to run” ( see current); (noun) Middle English soc(o)ur, back formation from sucurs (taken as plural) from Old French from Medieval Latin succursus, equivalent to Latin succur(rere) + -sus, var of -tus suffix of verbal action
Explanation
Succor is relief or help. If you've just woken up in the midst of a lion's den, wearing nothing but raw meat pajamas — sounds like you could use some succor! In archaic times, succor meant a reinforcement of troops during a hard battle. These days though, those reinforcements are a bit more figurative. Succor is a helping hand in a time of need, relief when the going gets tough. Succor can also be used as a verb, as in, "After Bob fell overboard, he was saved — succored by a life preserver."
Vocabulary lists containing succor
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Mythology
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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.
For decades, investors concerned about their stock investments sought succor in the bond market.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026
Church bells continued to ring out as they do habitually, offering succor to the toiling rescuers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026
But late Tuesday night a district judge in Western Pennsylvania did give them some succor.
From Salon ● May 14, 2025
In addition to providing spiritual succor to those on strike, many rabbis have also joined the picket line themselves.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2023
The Lawrence family was pious in the manner of northern Midwestern Lutherans, religion serving as much as the warp and woof of the community fabric as a source of personal succor or theological speculation.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
