Meaning of help in English

help

verb

/help/ us

/help/

help verb (MAKE EASIER)

to make it possible or easier for someone to do something, by doing part of the work yourself or by providing advice, money, support, etc.:

How can I help you?

I wonder if you could help me - I'd like some information about flights to New Zealand.

help with My dad said he would help with the costs of (= give part of the cost of) buying a house.

[ + obj + (to) infinitive ] The $10,000 loan from the bank helped her (to) start her own business.

I feel that learning English will help (= improve) my chances of promotion at work.

Nothing can help her now (= her situation is too bad for anyone to be able to improve it).

See also

helpline

Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples

to help someone

helpCan I help you get that?
aidThe project is designed to aid poorer countries.
assistThe army arrived to assist in the search.
collaborateWe collaborated on the project.
cooperateSeveral countries are cooperating in the relief effort.
benefitThe children have benefited greatly from the new facilities.

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B2 [ I or T ]

If something helps a difficult or painful situation, it improves it or makes it easier or less painful:

The morphine didn't seem to help (the pain).

[ + (to) infinitive ]

If something or someone helps to do something, that thing or person is one of several reasons for it happening:

help (to) The drought has helped (to) make this a disastrous year for Somalia.

More examplesFewer examples

The college now has a counsellor to help students with both personal and work problems.
We've got to enlist some people to help prepare the food.
Could I have a glass of water to help these pills go down ?
It's kind of you to offer to help.
She derived great satisfaction from helping other people.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Helping and co-operating

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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Making things better

help verb (STOP YOURSELF)

can't/couldn't help

If you can't/couldn't help something, such as acting in a particular way or making a particular remark, you are/were not able to control or stop it:

It was awful, but I couldn't help laughing.

help verb (GIVE/TAKE)

B1 [ T ]

to give something to someone:

help someone to Can I help you to some more soup?

More examplesFewer examples

Feel free to help yourself to coffee.
"May I help myself to some more food?" "Yes, of course."
I wish my lodger would ask before helping himself to my food.
My daughter just helps herself to anything she fancies from my wardrobe - usually my only good clothes!
I'm not sure whether we should be helping ourselves to these snacks - perhaps they're meant for later.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Giving, providing and supplying

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help yourself B1

to take something for yourself:

"Might I have some more bread?" "Please, help yourself!"

Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples

to take something from someone

takeHe offered her the microphone but she wouldn't take it.
take hold ofGet ready to take hold of the baton as the next runner approaches.
snatchHe snatched the letter out of my hands before I could read it.
stealThe car was stolen from right outside our house.
pinchA thief pinched his wallet and phone.
seizeFederal agents seized two computers.

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SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Taking and choosing

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Grammar

Help somebody (to) do

We use help with or without an object: …

Idioms

give/lend someone a helping hand
God help someone
it can't be helped
so help me (God)

Phrasal verb

help (someone) out

help

noun

/help/ us

/help/

A2 [ U ]

the act of helping another person:

Do you need any help with those boxes?

help with Her parents gave her some help with her bank loan (= paid some of it).

Synonyms

to someone's aid
assistance
relief
succour  UK literary
support  (HELP)

Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples

advice

adviceLet me give you some advice.
helpI didn't know who to turn to for help.
a piece of adviceLet me give you a piece of advice.
counselI will miss his wise counsel.
guidanceYoung people don't always appreciate the guidance offered by their parents and teachers.
counsellingUK Victims of abuse usually need expert counselling.

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B2 [ S ]

something or someone that helps:

Having a satnav would be a help.

help (to) He was a great help (to me) while my husband was away.

[ C ] UK old-fashioned

someone who is employed to clean and do other small jobs:

a home help

the help old-fashioned

a person or the people employed to work in someone's home doing cleaning, cooking, caring for children, etc.:

He was kind to the help.

You needn't bother with that. The help will gather our dishes.

More examplesFewer examples

The earthquake survivors are in desperate need of help.
If you can just hold on I'll go and get some help.
We really appreciate all the help you gave us last weekend.
More help is needed for people on low incomes.
If you need any help, please don't hesitate to ask.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Helping and co-operating

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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Helpers and accomplices

People who help or serve people professionally

Idiom

there's no help for it

help

exclamation

/help/ us

/help/

help!

shouted by a person who is asking for someone to come and save them from a dangerous situation

Examples

"Help! I'm drowning!" "Don't panic - I'm coming!"
A woman was leaning out of the window shouting, "Help! Fire!"

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Linguistics: interjections

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(Definition of help from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

help | American Dictionary

help

verb

/help/

help verb (MAKE EASIER)

Add to word list Add to word list

[ I/T ]

to make it possible or easier for someone to do something:

[ T ] How can I help you?

[ T ] Please help those less fortunate than you are.

[ + to infinitive ] Avoiding fatty foods and salt can help to bring down your blood pressure.

[ I/T ]

If something helps a difficult or painful situation, it improves it or makes it easier or less painful:

[ T ] Aspirin will help relieve the pain.

[ I/T ]

You shout "Help!" in an emergency when you need the immediate support of someone else.

help verb (GIVE/TAKE)

[ T ]

to serve something to someone, or to take something for yourself:

Help yourself to more cake.

Idiom

can’t help

Phrasal verb

help (someone) out

help

noun [ U ]

/help/

help noun [U] (ACT OF HELPING)

the act of making it possible or easier for someone to do something:

Do you need help with those boxes?

My parents gave us financial help when we bought our first house.

(Definition of help from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

help | Business English

help

noun [ U ]

WORKPLACE

/help/ us

Add to word list Add to word list

workers who are employed for a short time during periods when there is a lot of work:

We often take on help during the busy season.

(Definition of help from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of help

help

The risk is that clinicians increasingly will be reluctant to do quite ordinary procedures to help patients because of existing guidelines.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Second, physically speaking, patients are usually helped in any such transfer by a nurse, a doctor, or one of the patient's relatives.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Many people with symptoms of psychological distress do not seek professional help.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Their claim that higher levels of unemployment help extreme right parties is valid given their model.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

These parties had a common interest and were supported by non-governmental organisations which helped them put together a strong campaign.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

It helps me to think things through systematically and adopt resolve to take action, and it reminds me of my own past thinking.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

These roles help to explore other important dimensions of the experience of the patient.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

And we can consider possible roles for computers in helping students acquire these necessary skills.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Also, hybrid strategies applied to formation control could help to enhance formation control performance in some robotic tasks.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The role of a doctor is to help the patient at all times and remove the anxiety surrounding the condition.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Pupils were told that they could ask their teachers, another adult or friend for help with the sheets if they needed this.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The story, as it has been told, offers them 'a usable past' that should help them to cope with future change.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

You told him that you would help him with writing.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

They were explicitly told that some of the characters have features that could help them choose and some did not.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Others pointed out that young people took tremendous risks attempting to help out their families.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.