to give or provide what is necessary to accomplish a task or satisfy a need; contribute strength or means to; render assistance to; cooperate effectively with; aid; assist: He planned to help me with my work. Let me help you with those packages.
to save; rescue; succor: Help me, I'm falling!
to make easier or less difficult; contribute to; facilitate: The exercise of restraint is certain to help the achievement of peace.
to be useful or profitable to: Her quick mind helped her career.
to refrain from; avoid (usually preceded by can or cannot): He can't help doing it.
to relieve or break the uniformity of: Small patches of bright color can help an otherwise dull interior.
to relieve (someone) in need, sickness, pain, or distress.
to remedy, stop, or prevent: Nothing will help my headache.
to serve food to at table (usually followed by to): Help her to salad.
to serve or wait on (a customer), as in a store.
verb (used without object)
to give aid; be of service or advantage: Every little bit helps.
noun
the act of helping; aid or assistance; relief or succor.
a person or thing that helps: She certainly is a help in an emergency.
a hired helper; employee.
a body of such helpers.
a domestic servant or a farm laborer.
means of remedying, stopping, or preventing: The thing is done, and there is no help for it now.
Older Use. helping (def. 2).
interjection
(used as an exclamation to call for assistance or to attract attention.)
Verb Phrases
help out,to assist in an effort; be of aid to: Her relatives helped out when she became ill.
Idioms for help
cannot / can't help but, to be unable to refrain from or avoid; be obliged to: Still, you can't help but admire her.
help oneself to,
to serve oneself; take a portion of: Help yourself to the cake.
to take or use without asking permission; appropriate: They helped themselves to the farmer's apples. Help yourself to any of the books we're giving away.
so help me, (used as a mild form of the oath “so help me God”) I am speaking the truth; on my honor: That's exactly what happened, so help me.
Origin of help
First recorded before 900; Middle English helpen, Old English helpan; cognate with German helfen
1. Help,aid,assist,succor agree in the idea of furnishing another with something needed, especially when the need comes at a particular time. Help implies furnishing anything that furthers one's efforts or relieves one's wants or necessities. Aid and assist, somewhat more formal, imply especially a furthering or seconding of another's efforts. Aid implies a more active helping; assist implies less need and less help. To succor, still more formal and literary, is to give timely help and relief in difficulty or distress: Succor him in his hour of need.
usage note for help
21. Cannot/can't help but has been condemned by some as the ungrammatical version of cannot/can’t help followed by the present participle: You can’t help but admire her. You can’t help admiring her. However, the idiom Cannot/can't help but is so common in all types of speech and writing that it must be characterized as standard.
In that situation, had there been a number to call to get the help of social workers, the result might have been different, according to Schwartz.
The policing reforms in the Breonna Taylor settlement, explained|Fabiola Cineas|September 17, 2020|Vox
Don’t try to fix a ballot with tape or correction fluid if you mess up, and don’t be embarrassed to ask for help.
ProPublica’s Pandemic Guide to Making Sure Your Vote Counts|by Susie Armitage|September 16, 2020|ProPublica
Eighty-five percent of restaurants will probably close if we don’t get some help from the government.
Tom Colicchio Hopes (and Fears) COVID-19 Will Change the Restaurant Industry|Pallabi Munsi|September 16, 2020|Ozy
Extra step — check whether your structured data actually works with the help of Google’s Rich Result Test.
8 major Google ranking factors — SEO guide|Sponsored Content: SEO PowerSuite|September 15, 2020|Search Engine Land
The legislation offered limited help to tenants of the Galleria.
The Big Corporate Rescue and the America That’s Too Small to Save|by Lydia DePillis, Justin Elliott and Paul Kiel|September 12, 2020|ProPublica
That strategy has been used in some cases to help determine GMO policy.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
In the end, the clarity that comes from moments of horror can help us recommit to deeper principles.
Why We Stand With Charlie Hebdo—And You Should Too|John Avlon|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
A Wall Street person should not be allowed to help oversee the Dodd-Frank reforms.
Antonio Weiss Is Not Part of the Problem|Steve Rattner|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Finding the common bonds that help us realize that we have far more in common than that which separates us.
In 2015, Let’s Try for More Compassion|Gene Robinson|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Many hold classes in their living rooms, asking students to help re-arrange and then later put back furniture.
Iran’s Becoming a Footloose Nation as Dance Lessons Spread|IranWire|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I won't trespass, he may be very sure of that, and I won't stay in the neighbourhood any longer than I can help.
Mitchelhurst Place, Vol. I (of 2)|Margaret Veley
It was his nature to be happy and jolly; he could not help radiating sunshine all the time.
The Boy Scouts of the Naval Reserve|Robert Shaler
Never could he look to the old gentleman for a friendly word, or a bit of help over a hard financial place again.
The Corner House Girls Growing Up|Grace Brooks Hill
Yes, he had accidentally helped me, and I wished doubly that I might help him.
Lady Baltimore|Owen Wister
Hide it not for my help, for my honour, but tell me, Lest my time and thy time be lost days and confusion!
Poems By The Way & Love Is Enough|William Morris
British Dictionary definitions for help
help
/ (hɛlp) /
verb
to assist or aid (someone to do something), esp by sharing the work, cost, or burden of somethinghe helped his friend to escape; she helped him climb out of the boat
to alleviate the burden of (someone else) by giving assistance
(tr)to assist (a person) to go in a specified directionhelp the old lady up from the chair
to promote or contribute toto help the relief operations
to cause improvement in (a situation, person, etc)crying won't help
(tr; preceded by can, could, etc; usually used with a negative)
to avoid or refrain fromwe can't help wondering who he is
(usually foll by it)to prevent or be responsible forI can't help it if it rains
to alleviate (an illness, etc)
(tr)to serve (a customer)can I help you, madam?
(tr foll by to)
to serve (someone with food, etc) (usually in the phrase help oneself)may I help you to some more vegetables?; help yourself to peas
to provide (oneself with) without permissionhe's been helping himself to money out of the petty cash
cannot help butto be unable to do anything else exceptI cannot help but laugh
help a person off withto assist a person in the removal of (clothes)
help a person on withto assist a person in the putting on of (clothes)
so help me
on my honour
no matter whatso help me, I'll get revenge
noun
the act of helping, or being helped, or a person or thing that helpsshe's a great help
a helping
a person hired for a job; employee, esp a farm worker or domestic servant
(functioning as singular)several employees collectively
a means of remedythere's no help for it
interjection
used to ask for assistance
See also help out
Derived forms of help
helpable, adjectivehelper, noun
Word Origin for help
Old English helpan; related to Old Norse hjalpa, Gothic hilpan, Old High German helfan