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help Definition

help (help)

transitive verb

  1. to make things easier or better for (a person); aid; assist; specif.,
    1. to give (one in need or trouble) something necessary, as relief, succor, money, etc. to help the poor
    2. to do part of the work of; ease or share the labor of to help someone lift a load
    3. to aid in getting (up, down, in, etc. or to, into, out of, etc.) help her into the house
  2. to make it easier for (something) to exist, happen, develop, improve, etc.; specif.,
    1. to make more effective, larger, more intense, etc.; aid the growth of; promote a tax to help the schools
    2. to cause improvement in; remedy; alleviate; relieve a medicine that helps a cold
    1. to keep from; avoid he can't help coughing
    2. to stop, prevent, change, etc. a misfortune that can't be helped
  4. to serve or wait on (a customer, client, etc.)

Etymology: ME helpen < OE helpan, akin to Ger helfen < IE base *elb-, *elp-, to help > early Lith sělbinos, to aid

intransitive verb

  1. to give assistance; be cooperative, useful, or beneficial
  2. to act as a waiter, clerk, servant, etc.

noun

  1. the act of helping or a thing that helps; aid; assistance
  2. relief; cure; remedy
  3. ☆
    1. a helper; esp., a hired helper, as a domestic servant, farmhand, etc.
    2. hired helpers; employees

Etymology: ME < OE < base of the v.; in U.S., sense of “servant,” prob. a euphemism to avoid stigma of “serve”

used to summon assistance, esp. urgently

help Idioms

cannot help but

cannot fail to; be compelled or obliged to

cannot help oneself

to be the victim of circumstances, a habit, etc.

help oneself to

  1. to serve or provide oneself with (food, etc.)
  2. to take without asking or being given; steal

help out

to help in getting or doing something; help

so help me (God)

I swear

help Synonyms

help

n.

  1. Assistance

    advice, cooperation, guidance; see aid 1.

  2. Employees

    aides, representatives, hired help; see assistant, staff 2.

  3. Physical relief

    maintenance, sustenance, nourishment; see relief 4, remedy 2.

help Synonyms

help

v.

  1. To aid

    aid, assist, abet, succor, uphold, advise, encourage, stand by, cooperate, intercede for, patronize, befriend, accommodate, work for, back up, maintain, sustain, prop, benefit, bolster, lend a hand, do a service, see through, do one's part, cheer, give a hand, be of use, come to the aid of, bail out, be of some help, help along, do a favor, promote, endorse, sanction, back, advocate, abet, stimulate, uphold, second, further, work for, stick up for*, take under one's wing*, go to bat for*, side with*, give a lift*, boost*, take in tow*, pitch in*, set to*; see also support 2.

    Antonyms oppose*, rival*, combat. *

  2. To assist in recovery

    attend, nourish, doctor*; see heal 1, nurse, revive 2, treat 3.

  3. To serve at table

    wait on, accommodate, tend to; see serve 4.

  4. To improve

    better, correct, ease; see improve 1.

help is the simplest and strongest of these words meaning to supply another with whatever is necessary to accomplish his or her ends or relieve his or her wants; aid and assist are somewhat more formal and weaker, assist esp. implying a subordinate role in the helper and less need for help she assisted him in his experiments; succor suggests timely help to one in distress to succor a besieged city

cannot help but

be compelled to, be obliged to, cannot fail to, have to; see must.

cannot help oneself

be compelled to, have a need to, be the victim of circumstance, be the victim of habit; see must.

so help me God

as God is my witness, by God, I swear; see oath 1.

help Usage Examples

Object

  • people: The artists also helped the young people to develop their own creative art skills.
  • student: Personal Tutors are there to help students with any problems whether they are academic or social.
  • child: Derby County Coaches help local children On Saturday 18th June football did come home to The Community House!

Converse of object

  • enlist: Your puppy will learn a great deal quicker if you can enlist the help of some willing volunteers.
  • seek: Mental health campaigners fear this may dissuade people with mental health problems from seeking help.
  • need: You can then decide whether something is serious enough to need medical help.
  • appreciate: Our shops are staffed by volunteers and we would really appreciate extra help at this very busy time of year.

Noun phrase with adjective complement

undiscovered: In doing so you benefit from Amazon's prices and you also help support Undiscovered Scotland.

Adjective modifier

  • practical: ACWW offers mutual support, friendship and practical help.
  • extra: The tutors are extremely friendly and prepared to offer extra help and support to anyone in need.
  • financial: Kevin Noble of Spon End Red Brick, said the group had recieved financial help from the city council.
  • live: Live Help is currently available during normal business hours.

Modifies a noun

desk: The Help Desk The Help Desk is the first point of contact for most users of the university computing service.

Noun used with modifier

cannot: In fact I have two homelands, England and Russia, and I cannot help seeing England and the West through Russian Orthodox eyes.

Infinitive complement

  • reduce: Research states that a shot or two of whiskey each day will help to reduce your risk of heart disease.
  • ensure: Training advice staff Four training events for 30 CAB advisers per event on consumer guarantees will help to ensure a high quality of advice.
  • prevent: This is called anticoagulation and helps to prevent a stroke from occurring.
  • improve: She explains how sports science support can help to improve athletic performance... Q: In simple terms, what is sports science?
  • keep: We hope this helps to keep you informed and in touch with each other.

Present participle complement

wonder: I've signed up for an account, as you do, but I can't help wondering what the point is.