help
[verb]
Synonyms:
- aid, abet, assist, cooperate, lend a hand, succour, support
- improve, alleviate, ameliorate, ease, facilitate, mitigate, relieve
- refrain from, avoid, keep from, prevent, resist
[noun]
Synonyms:
- assistance, advice, aid, cooperation, guidance, helping hand, support

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Antonyms: hindrance, hinder
Contrasted words: bar, block, impede, obstruct, oppose, baffle, balk, foil, frustrate, thwart, discomfit, embarrass, damage, harm, hurt, injure, impair, worsen
Related Idioms: give a lift, lend a hand (or a helping hand), stand back of (or behind)
Related Words: benefit, cooperation, service, use, back, bolster, boost, champion, second, support, uphold, avail, profit, advance, facilitate, forward, further, promote, serve, befriend, succor, alleviate, mitigate, palliate, relieve

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English Thesaurus: help, assistance, aid, support, cooperation, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. help¹ S1 W1 /help/ verb
[Word Family: noun: help, helper, helpfulness ≠ unhelpfulness, helping, helplessness; adverb: helpfully ≠ unhelpfully, helplessly; adjective: helpful ≠ unhelpful, helpless; verb: help]
[Language: Old English; Origin: helpan]

1. [intransitive and transitive] to make it possible or easier for someone to do something by doing part of their work or by giving them something they need:
If there’s anything I can do to help, just give me a call.
help somebody (to) do something
I helped her to carry her cases up the stairs.
She helped him choose some new clothes.
herbal products that help you to relax and sleep
help (to) do something
She was coming to help clean the machines.
help somebody with something
Can I help you with the washing up?
My father said he’s going to help me with the fees.
help somebody on/off with something (=help someone put on or take off a piece of clothing)
Here, let me help you on with your coat.
help somebody somewhere (=help someone get to a particular place, especially because they are old, ill, or hurt)
She helped the old man across the road.

2. [intransitive and transitive] to make a situation better, easier, or less painful:
Crying won’t help.
If you get rid of your car you could be helping the environment.
It helps my concentration if I listen to music while I’m working.
It helped a lot to know that someone understood how I felt.
Eight hours of deep sleep helped enormously.

3. help yourself (to something)
a) to take some of what you want, without asking permission – used especially when offering food to someone:
Please help yourself to some cake.
b) informal to steal something:
Obviously he had been helping himself to the money.

4. help! spoken used to call people and ask them to help you when you are in danger

5. somebody can’t help (doing) something (also somebody can’t help but do something) used to say that someone is unable to change their behaviour or feelings, or to prevent themselves from doing something:
She couldn’t help it if she was being irrational.
‘Stop biting your nails.’ ‘I can’t help it.’
I can’t help the way I feel about you.
Lee could not help but agree with her.
somebody can’t help feeling/thinking/wondering etc something
I can’t help feeling that there has been a mistake.
I couldn’t help thinking about the past.

6. I couldn’t help myself/she couldn’t help herself etc to be unable to stop yourself from doing something you should not do:
She knew she sounded just like her mother but she couldn’t help herself.

7. it can’t be helped spoken used to say that there is nothing you can do to change a bad situation:
She said she had to leave him for a while; it couldn’t be helped.

8. somebody is helping the police with their enquiries British English the police are interviewing someone about a crime, especially because they believe that this person may have committed the crime

9. a helping hand help and support
give/lend/offer etc somebody a helping hand
She’s been giving me a helping hand with the children.

10. not if I can help it spoken used to say that you are not going to do something:
‘Are you going to watch the school play?’ ‘Not if I can help it.’

11. God help him/them etc spoken used to say that something bad may happen to someone:
‘Good luck.’ ‘God help me. I think I’m going to need it.’

12. so help me (God) used when making a serious promise, especially in a court of law

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. help² S1 W1 noun
[Word Family: noun: help, helper, helpfulness ≠ unhelpfulness, helping, helplessness; adverb: helpfully ≠ unhelpfully, helplessly; adjective: helpful ≠ unhelpful, helpless; verb: help]

1. [uncountable] things you do to make it easier or possible for someone to do something:
Thank you for all your help.
help with something/with doing something
Do you want any help with the washing up?
help to do something
I could do with some help to bring the bags in from the car.
help (in) doing something
He asked for my help in getting an interview with her.
with the help of somebody/with sb’s help
We manage, with the help of a nurse who comes daily.

2. [singular, uncountable] if someone or something is a help to you, they are useful and make it easier for you to do something:
That map isn’t much help.
with the help of something
I managed to make myself understood with the help of a phrase book.
be of great/little/no/some etc help (to somebody)
Let me know if I can be of any help to you.
be a (great/big/tremendous/real etc) help (to somebody)
Any information would be a great help.
You’ve been a real help to me, Carrie.

3. [uncountable] advice, treatment, information, or money which is given to people who need it:
A lot of these children need professional help.
help with
You may be able to ask for help with the rent.
We received no help from the police.

4. [uncountable] a part of a computer program that helps someone using it by giving additional information

5. the help American English someone’s servant or servants

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

help
noun
ADJ. big, enormous, great, invaluable, real, substantial, tremendous, valuable You've been a big help?thanks. It's a great help having you around. This is the first scheme to offer real help to working mothers.
generous | direct The careers officer gives direct help as well as advice.
mutual, self- The system is based on mutual help rather than on payment for services. a best-selling author of self-help books
voluntary The homeless centre relies entirely on voluntary help.
immediate | individual Teachers have little time to give individual help to students.
expert, skilled, technical | outside They can usually manage by themselves, but occasionally need outside help.
financial, legal, medical, practical, professional When the symptoms persisted, I decided to seek medical help.
VERB + HELP appeal for, ask for, beg for, call for, scream for, seek, send for, shout for, summon Police are appealing for help in catching the killers. I opened the window and called for help.
bring, enlist, fetch, find, get He enlisted the help of a private detective in his search for the truth. He ran to get help.
need, want Do you need any help unloading the car?
get, receive | accept He's too proud to accept help.
come to, give sb, offer (sb), provide (sb with) Passers-by came to the woman's help when she was mugged.
HELP + VERB arrive, come He lay injured for four hours before help arrived.
be at hand (informal) Don't panic?help is at hand.
HELP + NOUN desk, line (also helpline) For further information, phone our helpline.
PREP. beyond ~ Some of the injured animals were beyond help and had to be destroyed.
of ~ The manual is too technical to be of help to the inexperienced user.
with ~ With a little help, I think I could fix the computer myself. We broke open the lock with the help of a spanner.
~ for The training centre provides special help for the long-term unemployed.
~ from With help from a parent, a child can do simple cooking.
~ in Local teachers provided invaluable help in developing the material.
~ to She's been a big help to her father. | ~ with He'll need help with this homework.
PHRASES an appeal/a plea/a request for help The family's request for help went unanswered. | a cry for help I heard a cry for help from inside the building.
in need of help The man was clearly in need of urgent medical help.
an offer of help He rudely rejected her kind offer of help.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

help
verb
I. do sth for sb
ADV. a lot My mother helps me a lot.
a bit | solicitously He solicitously helped her back into the chair.
out
VERB + HELP be able/unable to, can/could Can you help me with my homework?
try to I was only trying to help out.
PREP. across I helped her across the road.
into, out of She helped the old man out of the car.
with We all help with the housework.
PHRASES help sb to their feet Mike helped the old lady to her feet.
a way of helping the best way of helping your child

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

help
II. make sth easier/better
ADV. enormously, greatly, immeasurably, a lot, really, tremendously Talking to a counsellor helped her enormously. The whole process was greatly helped by the widespread availability of computers.
a bit, a little | certainly It certainly helped that her father is a duke!
VERB + HELP be designed to The minimum wage is designed to help people in low-pay service industries.
PREP. in Iron helps in the formation of red blood cells.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

help
I.
noun
BAD: Remember to call me if you need a help.
GOOD: Remember to call me if you need help.

Usage Note:
Help is usually an uncountable noun: 'Do you want some help?' 'He doesn't like asking for help.'
Note however the phrase be a (great/tremendous) help : 'Thanks for coming and looking after the children. You've been a great help.' 'It would be a great help if you could just address all the envelopes.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

help
II.
verb
BAD: The girl's parents couldn't help to worry about her.
GOOD: The girl's parents couldn't help worrying about her.

Usage Note:
can't/couldn't help doing sth : 'I couldn't help laughing when I saw what he was doing.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

help the things you do to make it easier or possible for someone to do something:
Now that I’m working, the kids need to give me more help with the housework.
The book would never have been finished without his help.
assistance help. Assistance is more formal than help, and is used especially about people giving official help:
The police are asking the public for their assistance.
The project received financial assistance from the government.
Thank you very much for your assistance, sir.
He set up the business with the assistance of his two sons.
aid help. Aid is more formal than help, and is used especially about money, food, medicine etc. that is given to countries or people that are in a very bad situation:
Aid is being sent to areas affected by the earthquake.
The US spends billions of dollars on aid to developing countries.
Another driver stopped and came to his aid.
support help and encouragement:
Thanks to everyone who gave us their support.
We could not have won the case without your support.
cooperation help – used especially when people, organizations, or countries work together to get things done, and show that they are willing to do this:
a spirit of international cooperation
The cooperation of landowners was needed for the plan to succeed.
backup extra people, equipment etc that can be used in case people need help:
The officer waited for backup to arrive before making any arrests.
assist formal to help someone:
He was employed to assist the manager in his duties.
Some of the guests assisted with the preparation of the food.
help out to help someone, especially because there are not enough people to do all the work, or they need someone to give them something:
Organizing the school trip will be a lot of work, so I need some volunteers to help out.
My parents have helped us out on several occasions by sending us money.
give somebody a hand informal to help someone to do something, especially by carrying or lifting things:
Can you give me a hand moving these boxes?
Dave wants to paint the kitchen and I promised I’d give him a hand.
lend a hand informal to help someone, especially when there are not enough people to do something:
Scott is moving on Saturday and we promised to lend a hand.
I went over to see if I could lend a hand.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

help to make it easier for someone to do something, by doing something for them or giving them something they need:
Is there anything I can do to help?
Dad, I can’t do my homework. Will you help me?
assist formal to help someone:
He was employed to assist the manager in his duties.
Some of the guests assisted with the preparation of the food.
aid formal to help someone to do something – used especially when saying that something helps your body to do something:
Coffee can aid concentration.
Fennel aids the digestion.
There are plenty of materials to aid the teacher.
help out to help someone, especially because there are not enough people to do all the work, or they need someone to give them something:
Organizing the school trip will be a lot of work, so I need some volunteers to help out.
My parents have helped us out on several occasions by sending us money.
give somebody a hand informal to help someone to do something, especially by carrying or lifting things:
Can you give me a hand moving these boxes?
Dave wants to paint the kitchen and I promised I’d give him a hand.
lend a hand informal to help someone, especially when there are not enough people to do something:
Scott is moving on Saturday and we promised to lend a hand.
I went over to see if I could lend a hand.
give somebody help
Do you want me to give you some help?
ask (somebody) for help
He asked for help with the cleaning.
need help
Some of the older patients need help with walking.
get/receive help
She gets no help from her husband.
offer (your) help
The taxi driver offered his help and we accepted.
provide help
The goverment should do more to provide help for people who are looking for work.
appeal for help (=publicly ask for help)
The police are appealing for help to track down the killer.
enlist sb’s help (=persuade someone to help you)
She enlisted the help of a private investigator to find her missing son.
find help
To get it finished by tomorrow, we’ll need to find help from somewhere.
financial help
We received a lot of financial help from my family.
professional help
You need to seek some professional help.
medical help
She needs urgent medical help.
legal help
You can find free legal help for your problem by logging onto our website.
technical help
I might need some technical help understanding the instructions.
practical help
The organization offers practical help with finding accommodation.
expert help
If the issues are complex, expert help can be sought from the adoption agency.
get/receive help from somebody
You will be able to get confidential help from your doctor.
give (somebody) help
The fund was set up to give financial help to war veterans.
offer help
We offer free help for people with debts.
seek help (=ask for help)
He decided to seek medical help for his drink problem.
assistance help. Assistance is more formal than help, and is used especially about people giving official help:
The police are asking the public for their assistance.
The project received financial assistance from the government.
Thank you very much for your assistance, sir.
He set up the business with the assistance of his two sons.
support help and encouragement:
Thanks to everyone who gave us their support.
We could not have won the case without your support.
cooperation help – used especially when people, organizations, or countries work together to get things done, and show that they are willing to do this:
a spirit of international cooperation
The cooperation of landowners was needed for the plan to succeed.
backup extra people, equipment etc that can be used in case people need help:
The officer waited for backup to arrive before making any arrests.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

support to say that you agree with a person or idea, and usually help them because you want them to succeed:
We will support your decision.
Thanks to everyone who supported us throughout the trial.
The tsunami appeal was supported by thousands of people.
back to support a person or plan by providing money or practical help – used about governments or other powerful groups:
The £100 million scheme is backed by the British government.
The people backing him do not have the interests of the club at heart.
endorse to formally and officially say that you support a person, plan, or idea:
Agriculture ministers refused to endorse the Commission's proposals.
get behind somebody/something to support a person or plan and help them be successful - used especially about a group of people:
The England fans really got behind the team.
I really believe in this initiative, but it was hard to find business people who were willing to get behind it.
The police can't do anything unless the public gets behind them.
stand up for somebody/something to say that you support someone or something when they are being attacked:
You were the only person who stood up for me at the meeting.
He stood up for what he believed in.
side with somebody to support one of the people or groups involved in an argument - used especially when you disapprove of this or think it is unfair:
I felt she was siding with her mother rather than standing up for me.
The jury often side with the defendant in these situations.
hold up to stop something from falling:
These poles hold up the outer part of the tent.
His trousers were held up by an old piece of string.
prop up to stop something from falling by putting something against it or under it:
The builders have propped up the walls with steel beams.
carry to support the weight of someone or something – used about something supporting several people, vehicles etc:
The bridge could only carry up to two cars at a time.
The lift can carry up to 12 people.
hold to be strong enough to support the weight of someone or something:
Are you sure the branch will hold both of us?
She prayed that the roof would hold her weight as she crawled along it.
bear literary or technical to hold the weight of something:
The truck did not look strong enough to bear the weight of all those people.
a load-bearing wall
take somebody's/something's weight to be strong enough to support the weight of someone or something:
His damaged leg would not take his weight.
Any large mirrors should have additional support to take their weight.
Make sure you choose a pole that will take the weight of your curtains.
have support
The extreme right-wing parties don’t have much popular support.
give (your) support (also lend (your) support formal)
The American people gave him their enthusiastic support.
The naturalist Sir David Attenborough has lent his support to the campaign.
pledge/offer (your) support (=say that you will support someone or something)
Both the opposition parties pledged full support for the new administration.
get/draw support
The plan drew wide support from parents.
win/gain/attract support
Try to win the support of local shopkeepers.
enjoy/command support formal (=have support)
His views were too extreme to command general support.
drum up/rally support (=get people’s support by making an effort)
Both sides have been drumming up support through the internet.
enlist sb’s support formal (=ask for and get their support)
He wrote to the Prime Minister in an attempt to enlist his support.
mobilize support (=get people to support something in an active way)
Part of their mission was to mobilize popular support for Franco.
build (up) support (=increase it)
Now he needs to build his support by explaining what he believes in.
withdraw support (=no longer support )
He's decided to withdraw his support for the project.
public/popular support
There seemed to be no popular support for war.
widespread/wide/general support
There is widespread support for the Government’s proposal.
strong support
A survey found strong support for the project among hospital staff.
massive support
We have massive public support.
sb’s full support
That view deserves the full support of all farmers.
whole-hearted/enthusiastic support
I want you to know that you have my whole-hearted support.
active support (=approval and help)
Les, with the active support of his wife Pam, has spent several years compiling a list of the prisoners.
unanimous support (=when all members of a group support something)
There was nearly unanimous support for the proposal.
help the things you do to make it easier or possible for someone to do something:
Now that I’m working, the kids need to give me more help with the housework.
The book would never have been finished without his help.
assistance help. Assistance is more formal than help, and is used especially about people giving official help:
The police are asking the public for their assistance.
The project received financial assistance from the government.
Thank you very much for your assistance, sir.
He set up the business with the assistance of his two sons.
aid help. Aid is more formal than help, and is used especially about money, food, medicine etc. that is given to countries or people that are in a very bad situation:
Aid is being sent to areas affected by the earthquake.
The US spends billions of dollars on aid to developing countries.
Another driver stopped and came to his aid.
cooperation help – used especially when people, organizations, or countries work together to get things done, and show that they are willing to do this:
a spirit of international cooperation
The cooperation of landowners was needed for the plan to succeed.
backup extra people, equipment etc that can be used in case people need help:
The officer waited for backup to arrive before making any arrests.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

help
help
See: can help , can't help but or cannot but , so help me

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲