What does "help" mean?
Action given to provide assistance; aid.
Help
/hɛlp/ intj, noun, verb
intj, noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Action given to provide assistance; aid.
- Grammar: help is listed as intj, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: aid, aid, assist, assist.
- Useful contrasts: disobliging, abandonment, bane.
- Usage evidence: Sometimes I can't help showing emotions.
How to use "help"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "help" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "help" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "help" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "help" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "help" is acting as intj, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "aid" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "help", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Action given to provide assistance; aid. uncountable, usually
"I need some help with my homework."
- 2 Initialism of heat escape lessening position: a crouching position with the knees held close to the chest, used to conserve body heat in cold water. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism, uncountable
- 3 the activity of contributing to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose wordnet
- 4 Something or someone which provides assistance with a task. uncountable, usually
"He was a great help to me when I was moving house."
- 5 a means of serving wordnet
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 Documentation provided with computer software that could be accessed using the computer. uncountable, usually
"I can't find anything in the help about rotating an image."
- 7 a person or thing that is a resource that helps make something easier or possible to do wordnet
- 8 A study aid. countable, usually
"I've printed out a list of math helps."
- 9 a person who contributes to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose wordnet
- 10 One or more people employed to help in the maintenance of a house or the operation of a farm or enterprise. uncountable, usually
"The help is coming round this morning to clean."
- 11 Correction of deficits, as by psychological counseling or medication or social support or remedial training. uncountable, usually
"His suicide attempts were a cry for help."
Verb
- 1 To provide assistance to (someone or something). transitive
"He helped his grandfather cook breakfast."
- 2 improve the condition of wordnet
- 3 To assist (a person) in getting something, especially food or drink at table; used with to. transitive
"It is polite to help your guests to food before serving yourself."
- 4 improve; change for the better wordnet
- 5 To contribute in some way to. transitive
"The white paint on the walls helps make the room look brighter."
Show 10 more definitions
- 6 help to some food; help with food or drink wordnet
- 7 To provide assistance. intransitive
"She was struggling with the groceries, so I offered to help."
- 8 take or use wordnet
- 9 To avoid; to prevent; to refrain from; to restrain (oneself). Usually used in nonassertive contexts with can. transitive
"We couldn’t help noticing that you were late."
- 10 give help or assistance; be of service wordnet
- 11 To do something on the behalf of someone. Hong-Kong, Singapore
"Can you help me buy some groceries?"
- 12 contribute to the furtherance of wordnet
- 13 To assist or sympathize with (the speaker); used to express displeasure, disappointment or exasperation. Singapore, Singlish, imperative
"Compare Malay tolong (“help; please”) and Hokkien 導郎 /导郎 (tō͘-lông, “help; please”)"
- 14 abstain from doing; always used with a negative wordnet
- 15 be of use wordnet
Intj
- 1 A cry of distress or an urgent request for assistance.
"— Take that, you scoundrel. — Help! Robin, help!"
- 2 A way to signal uncontrollable laughter; implying the risk of dying of laughter and needing assistance. Internet
"helpppp that's too funny, did she rlly say that?"
Example
"Sometimes I can't help showing emotions."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "help"?
Common synonyms include: aid, aid, assist, assist, assistance, assistant.
How do you use "help" in a sentence?
Sometimes I can't help showing emotions.
How do you pronounce "help"?
Pronounced /hɛlp/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English help, from Old English help (“help, aid, assistance, relief”), from Proto-Germanic *helpō (“help”), *hilpiz, *hulpiz, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱelb-, *ḱelp- (“to help”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Hälpe (“help”), West Frisian help (“help”), Cimbrian hölfe (“help”), Dutch hulp (“help”), German Hilfe (“help, aid, assistance”), Luxembourgish Hëllef (“help”), Mòcheno hilf (“help”), Vilamovian hyłf (“help”), Yiddish הילף (hilf, “help”), Danish hjælp (“help”), Faroese, Icelandic hjálp (“help”), Norwegian Bokmål hjelp (“help”), Norwegian Nynorsk hjelp, hjølp (“help”), Swedish hjälp (“help”).
Etymology 2
From Middle English helpen, from Old English helpan (“to help, aid, assist, benefit, relieve, cure”), from Proto-West Germanic *helpan, Proto-Germanic *helpaną (“to help”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱelb-, *ḱelp- (“to help”). Cognate with North Frisian halep, heelpe, help (“to help”), Saterland Frisian hälpe (“to help”), West Frisian helpe (“to help”), Cimbrian hölfan (“to help”), Dutch helpen (“to help”), German helfen (“to help”), Low German helpen, hölpen, hülpen (“to help”), Luxembourgish hëllefen (“to help”), Yiddish העלפֿן (helfn, “to help”), Danish hjælpe (“to help”), Faroese, Icelandic hjálpa (“to help”), Norwegian Bokmål hjelpe (“to help”), Norwegian Nynorsk hjelpa, hjelpe (“to help”), Swedish hjälpa (“to help”), Gothic 𐌷𐌹𐌻𐍀𐌰𐌽 (hilpan, “to help”), Lithuanian šelpti (“to help, support”).