Definitions

help

[help] / hɛlp /

Part of Speech:

All (4) Noun (2) Verb (2)

Jump To:

assistance, relief n.
someone employed, usually as a servant or manual laborer. n.
aid, assist v.
improve v.

NOUN

assistance, relief

Synonyms

STRONGEST

advice aid benefit comfort cooperation guidance hand service support use

STRONG

assist avail balm corrective cure lift maintenance nourishment remedy succor sustenance utility

WEAK

helping hand

Antonyms

STRONGEST

blockage encumbrance handicap hindrance hurt injury obstruction prevention

STRONG

disease

WEAK

check counteraction harm stop

NOUN

someone employed, usually as a servant or manual laborer.

Synonyms

STRONGEST

domestic employee hand helper hired help hired man servant staff worker

WEAK

assistant

Antonyms

STRONG

boss manager

WEAK

management

VERB

aid, assist

Synonyms

STRONGEST

back benefit bolster boost cooperate encourage further maintain promote push save serve stimulate support

STRONG

abet accommodate advocate ballyhoo befriend cheer endorse hype intercede patronize plug prop puff relieve sanction second succor sustain uphold

WEAK

be of use buck up do a favor do a service do one's part go to bat for go with lend a hand open doors root for see through stand by stick up for stump for take under one's wing work for

Antonyms

STRONGEST

block condemn delay depress discourage dissuade halt harm hinder hurt impede neglect obstruct prevent refuse stop undermine

STRONG

conceal disapprove frustrate hide ignore oppose protest

WEAK

check counteract decrease injure worsen

VERB

improve

Synonyms

STRONGEST

alleviate ease facilitate restore revive treat

STRONG

ameliorate amend attend better cure doctor heal meliorate mitigate nourish palliate relieve remedy

Antonyms

STRONGEST

destroy hurt increase

STRONG

accuse blame condemn depress harm injure neglect worsen

WEAK

block check counteract decrease hinder obstruct stop

Frequently Asked Questions

What is another word for help?

A close synonym of the verb sense of help is assist. Assist can mean the same thing as help, but it can imply that the assistance is only part of the help being offered. The informal term lend a hand (in which a hand means assistance) often means the same thing. Some close synonyms for help can be used as a noun or as a verb: aid and support. Each can have different shades of meaning. Aid is more formal, and it’s often used in the context of serious situations. Support can be used in different ways. It often emphasizes the fact that the person being helped is not alone. Other synonyms for help are more specific. Guide means to help someone with a task or activity as they do it by providing guidance along the way—which is a bit more hands-on than advising (giving advice). Relief is often used in the context of helping those who are desperately in need, as in Multiple agencies are working to provide relief to those affected by the hurricane. Many of the noun synonyms of help can be used with the word provide to create synonyms of the verb sense: provide assistance, provide aid, provide support (and of course provide help). Sometimes, help means the same thing as facilitate, further, promote, or foster, as This legislation will help economic growth.

What is a fancier word for help?

Help is a very common word. Much less common terms that can mean the same thing are succor and abet. Succor can be used as a noun or a verb—and it can also refer to a person who provides help. It can sound a bit literary or formal—it’s probably most commonly encountered in older literature. Abet is most commonly used in the context of assisting someone with a crime—particularly in the phrase aid and abet.

What are some synonyms for other forms of help?

What is another word for helping? Helping describes giving aid, help, and support. Synonyms for this include assisting, guiding, and advising. Assisting suggests that you’re giving consistent or formalised support. Essentially, it implies that it’s part of your role to help out, where helping suggests that the help was optional. Guiding suggests that you’re more experienced than the person you’re helping, and you’re helping them to gain experience or improve. Advising also suggests that you know more than the person you’re helping, but in this case you’re offering advice when it’s needed. You might not have a hands-on role, but your advice is important. What is another word for helpful? If someone is helpful, you might describe them instead as supportive, friendly, useful, valuable or accommodating. Useful and valuable are most often used in workplaces to describe people, and you wouldn’t usually describe your friend that way. Supportive, friendly, and accommodating can be used in a wider variety of situations. Accommodating suggests that someone is understanding about your needs or requests, and will change things around to make you comfortable. If something is helpful—say advice, or a certain tool—you might describe it as beneficial or invaluable. Beneficial means that it offers a benefit, and invaluable means that it’s beyond valuable—that it’s important or necessary. What is another word for helper? A helper is an assistant. They might be an apprentice if they’re helping you in order to learn a trade or profession. If you’re a supervillain, they might be a henchman. They might be your subordinate, your deputy, or your right-hand-man. What can you say instead of helping others? There’s no direct synonym for the phrase helping others, but depending on the circumstances, you could use giving advice, having a support role or offering guidance. Have a think about what kind of help you’re offering, and once you’ve found a more specific word you can build your own phrase around that! What is another word for helpfulness? Instead of helpfulness, you can use usefulness, assistance, or help.

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:

help helps helped helping

The Federal Aviation Administration said it has sought to help smaller charter operators standardize pilot training.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

She is part of a team running virtual clinics that support more than 100 patients and family members a week: "No matter what stage they are at, we try to help," she says.

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026

But if you are honest about your intentions, peeking back through the door you left open can help ensure it doesn’t slam shut forever.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

In Rycroft’s statement, she said that she was pursuing professional help.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026

I can’t help but feel like the spider is luring the fly into a trap.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

The Air Charter Safety Foundation, an industry group, said it helps operators go above and beyond minimum safety requirements.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

Sentra, a cybersecurity startup that helps companies keep artificial-intelligence agents under control, has raised $150 million to meet booming demand for AI and data security.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026

Because a protein's shape helps determine how well it interacts with other molecules, even a small structural adjustment could substantially change its activity.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026

All of which helps explain why Musk stayed off the trail this fall and looked more like a traditional deep-pocketed donor.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026

“It usually helps to not have an audience and so much noise around.”

From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste

“Step into almost any gym in the world today and you will see kettlebells, medicine balls, rowing machines, and even buckets of chalk, each of which CrossFit helped normalize for gymgoers,” Mr. Marsh writes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026

In Texas, voters in majority-Latino districts near San Antonio and along the border helped Democrats break Republicans’ long-standing grip on the state to win the races for governor, lieutenant governor and senator.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026

The funding could have helped the competition move forward in a new form, dubbed LIV 2.0, but BC Partners is understood to have decided it is not viable to pursue a deal.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026

Efforts to win over new and lapsed loyalty members with digital offers — such as a $2 breakfast sandwich, and free fries with a $1 minimum purchase — helped attract more customers.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 2026

I couldn’t always say no—we had to take our turn to do weekend duties—and if I’m honest, the money helped.

From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo

Decades after helping Michigan to national championships in 1932 and 1933, the outstanding center and linebacker Gerald Ford became the 38th president of the United States on the Republican ticket.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026

He embraced and promoted the ethos of non-violent civil disobedience, helping to organise strikes, boycotts and street demonstrations.

From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026

It is helping researchers pick targets, fine-tune experimental medicines and identify which patients would be good candidates for the treatments.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026

Despite its name, HGF plays important roles beyond the liver, including helping activate the stem cells responsible for muscle regeneration.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026

“Millie does pottery. Chitto and Harry are content creators. Willa—her art is food and helping people.”

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

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