aid
verb (used with object)
to provide support for or relief to; help.
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aid
1 American
[ayd]
/ eɪd /
verb (used with object)
-
aids,
present (3rd person singular)
-
aided,
past participle, past
-
aiding
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
aids,
present (3rd person singular)
-
aided,
past participle, past
-
aiding
present participle
noun
-
aids
plural
-
help or support; assistance.
-
a person or thing that aids or furnishes assistance; helper; auxiliary.
-
Manège. aids,
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Also called natural aids. the means by which a rider communicates with and controls a horse, as the hands, legs, voice, and shifts in weight.
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Also called artificial aids. the devices used by a rider to increase control of a horse, as spurs, whip, and martingale.
-
-
a payment made by feudal vassals to their lord on special occasions.
-
English History. (after 1066) any of several revenues received by a king in the Middle Ages from his vassals and other subjects, limited by the Magna Charta to specified occasions.
AID
2
American
[ayd]
/ eɪd /
noun
U.S. Government.
AID
3
American
abbreviation
-
American Institute of Decorators.
-
American Institute of Interior Designers.
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British. artificial insemination donor. Also A.I.D.
aid
1
British
/ eɪd /
verb
-
to give support to (someone to do something); help or assist
-
(tr) to assist financially
noun
-
assistance; help; support
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a person, device, etc, that helps or assists
a teaching aid
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Also: artificial aid. mountaineering any of various devices such as piton or nut when used as a direct help in the ascent
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(in medieval Europe; in England after 1066) a feudal payment made to the king or any lord by his vassals, usually on certain occasions such as the marriage of a daughter or the knighting of an eldest son
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informal in support of; for the purpose of
AID
2
British
abbreviation
-
acute infectious disease
-
artificial insemination (by) donor: former name for Donor Insemination (DI)
Aid
3
British
combining form
Commonly Confused
Although the nouns aid and aide both have among their meanings “an assisting person,” the spelling aide is increasingly used for the sense “helper, assistant”: One of the senator's aides is calling. Aide in military use is short for aide-de-camp. It is also the spelling in nurse's aide.
Synonym Usage
See help.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
aidsimple
-
aidssimple
-
have aidedperfect
-
has aidedperfect
-
am aidingprogressive
-
are aidingprogressive
-
is aidingprogressive
-
have been aidingperfect progressive
-
has been aidingperfect progressive
Past
-
aidedsimple
-
had aidedperfect
-
was aidingprogressive
-
were aidingprogressive
-
had been aidingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of aid1
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English noun aide, eide, from Anglo-French, Old French aide, derivative of verb aid(i)er, from Latin adjūtāre “to help”; see also adjuvant ( def. )
Origin of AID2
A(gency for) I(nternational) D(evelopment)
Explanation
Aid is what you do when you help someone — you come to their aid. Rich countries provide economic aid to poor countries, and if you cut your hand, you'll be looking in the first aid kit for a Band-Aid. You can also use aid as a verb: "The librarian will aid you in your search." English has some words with meanings related to aid, but they're spelled with an -e on the end, because they come from the French. A nurse's aide is someone who assists a nurse. An aide-de-camp is a close assistant and confidant to a military officer, a word often shortened to just aide, to refer to an assistant to a political official.
Vocabulary lists containing aid
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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.
See Examples For:
"We're very lucky to have the first aid training that we do, and if we can occasionally be in the right place at the right time to help people out, then fantastic," he said.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
The region’s struggling truckers say they need more aid to help ports reach their green goals.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
The challenge comes as Afghanistan faces the return of 6.6 million Afghans since 2023, climate disasters, dwindling aid and banking isolation since the Taliban movement returned to power in 2021.
From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026
Additional public order vehicles and drivers are being brought in from 18 English and Welsh police forces under mutual aid arrangements.
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026
King Charles VII did not come to her aid.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
“We sort of set out with a goal of at least 50,000 and people said we were crazy, and we are exceeding those numbers,” said Jonathan Barsade, president of AID Coalition, which launched the program.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026
Their current focus is on developing innovative segmentation and clustering techniques for multivariate time series data tailored to uncover more granular patterns and handle the challenges posed by AID data.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 27, 2024
AID official, was in East Africa to pledge aid to help the region’s fight against hunger amid a devastating multi-year drought.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 27, 2022
As access to schooling expands, inequality as measured by the AID rises because the population now contains many people who have no education and many who have several years of schooling.
From Nature ● Apr. 14, 2020
“Can you believe they even gave her that AID virus and injected her into monkeys?”
From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot
Times that the actor was a proponent and advocate of New York’s Medical Aid in Dying Act, a law that took effect on Aug. 5.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
Aid Coalition president Jonathan Barsade told AFP the accusation had "no foundation whatsoever" and that the NGO does not provide financial incentives.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
Appeared in the October 13, 2026, print edition as 'Why Diesel Proposal Won’t Aid Prices Much'.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
In Woods’ case, she contacted both her servicer and the Education Department’s Office of Federal Student Aid, or FSA, asking why her debt still appeared on her credit report.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
The smart and charming First Aid Nursing Yeomanry girl who does the driving for the Moon Squadron didn’t ask Maddie any questions.
From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein
Instead, it aids exercise, helping you lift heavier weights or do more reps per set.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026
An economic forecast tells a plausible story about the future and aids public communication.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
Or scrub it clean and build afresh, trusting that Jewish memory doesn’t need harsh visual aids to remain vigilant?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
Arsenal are open to allowing teenage prodigy Max Dowman to leave the club on loan this term if it aids his development.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
“Wait, your hearing aids are gone!” said Jack.
From "Wonder" by R. J. Palacio
The victory was aided by a 19% abstention rate, one of the lowest on record, after a push to mobilize voters who skipped the first round.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
It turns out that sitting on that knowledge for a month only aided in my experience with the movie.
From Salon ● Oct. 25, 2026
That number was aided by the massive box office reception for Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” which has grossed nearly $1.8 billion worldwide.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
The Swansea centre-back finds his left winger, aided by their left-back dragging the opposition winger with him.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
The breeze full of petals aided and pushed them faster.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
The jury found that she had done the acts in relation to all five charges – including four counts of aiding and abetting her husband's offending.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
He argues the technology could modernize court infrastructure, aiding in case management, scheduling and document processing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
The Australian Signals Directorate, a national-security agency, is aiding in a forensic investigation of the incident, including whether other government systems might have been affected.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
Foreign experts, including from China, India and South Korea, are aiding Nepali teams in rescue efforts.
From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026
“You are summoned to the New York Provincial Congress for suspicion of aiding the enemy, Elihu. I am placing you under arrest. These soldiers will escort you.”
From "Chains" by Laurie Halse Anderson
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